Spaghetti with a Citrus Cream Sauce
David Scott Allen · Main Course · Provencal Recipes · TasteMy inspiration for this pasta dish was ice cream, actually the Good Humor Man’s creamsickle. The spaghetti sauce is a light cream and wine base with citrus (orange and lemon).
The dish is easy to make and a refreshing change to tomato sauce. Think about making this when the citrus starts appearing in the Provencal markets near to Christmas or perhaps to celebrate the annual Menton Fête du Citron in February.

Spaghetti with a Citrus Cream Sauce
I call this Creamsicle Pasta as it reminds me of the childhood treat - cream and citrus. The recipe is from Damiano Miniera an inventive Sicilian chef near Florence in Tuscany.
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet Organic Oranges
- 1 Organic Lemon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot(s) finely diced
- 1/4 cup white wine or Prosecco
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35%)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
- Bring a large kettle of water to a boil. Salt the water well and add the pasta.
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the oranges and lemon.
- Slice all the zest very thinly - “razor thin,” as the recipe says.
- Add the zest to the small saucepan and boil for 5 minutes to soften and rid the zest of any bitterness. Drain in a sieve.
- Juice the oranges and lemon, removing any seeds.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet. When melted, add the shallot and cook until clear; do not brown.
- Add the cooked zest, juice, wine, and cream, and cook at a brisk simmer until thickened - about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and divide among 4 heated pasta bowls.
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