Creamy Chive Pasta With Lemon

This recipe is a good way to showcase any fresh chives you may have. In the spirit of buttered noodles with chives — or stir-fried lo mein with Chinese chives — this recipe uses the delicate alliums as an ingredient instead of a garnish. Their gentle onion flavor adds freshness to lemon-cream sauce, which is not unlike a delicate sour cream and onion dip. You can use crème fraîche for more tang, heavy cream for an alfredo vibe, or ricotta for a hint of sweetness. To use another spring allium like ramps, leeks or a combination, thinly slice and simmer in heavy cream (not crème fraîche or ricotta) to soften before adding the other ingredients.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 1

  pound long noodles, like linguine or spaghetti

• ¾

  cup crème fraîche, heavy cream or ricotta

• ¾

  cup freshly grated Parmesan (1 3/4 ounces), plus more for serving

• 1

  tablespoon fresh lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

• ¼ to 1 ½

  ounces chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
2. In the same pot, make the sauce: Stir together the crème fraîche, 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the pasta, return to medium heat, and cook, tossing vigorously, until the noodles are well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed to gloss the noodles.
3. Add the chives and stir until evenly distributed and slightly wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat with more grated Parmesan and black pepper on top.