Smoked Salmon Pasta

Ingredients

• 10 ounces (340g) bowtie pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pasta cooking water (reserve 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan (small holes of a box grater)
• 3-4 teaspoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 7 ounces (200g) smoked salmon
• 20 cherry tomatoes
• 1 twig basil leaves
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions (10 minutes for my pasta). Towards the end of the cooking time, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta on a colander and set aside.

2. 2

   While the pasta is cooking, prepare all the other ingredients: chop the garlic finely with a knife (don´t use a garlic press or the garlic flavor may be too harsh), juice the lemon, grate the parmesan, tear the salmon into smaller (bite-sized) pieces, cut tomatoes in half, tear basil leaves into smaller pieces.

3. 3

   To the same pot you´ve cooked pasta in, add olive oil, butter, and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant, don´t let it brown.

4. 4

   Add 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water and cook for 1 minute.

5. 5

   Add cream and bring to a boil.

6. 6

   Add the cooked pasta, parmesan, lemon juice, salmon, tomatoes, and basil. Toss everything together, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more reserved pasta cooking water if the pasta is too dry.

7. 7

   Enjoy!