Pasta (paccheri) with ricotta, lemon zest and thyme

It takes just few minutes to make this Summer recipe and it is delicious both hot and warm.
Nothing to cook, you just have to boil pasta and enjoy the fragrant smells of lemon and thyme...


I grow my own thyme and the yellow variety you see in the on the picture tastes of lemon as well.

Ingredients for 4

350 grs. pasta (paccheri)
200/ 1/2 pound  grs. ricotta
100 grs/1/4 pound  Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
Zest of a organic lemon (grated)
6 spoons extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
1 spoon leaves of fresh thyme plus more to decorate
Salt 

How to:

1) Wash the organic lemon very well and grate most of the zest - (yellow part only.)
Put in a small bowl with the extra virgin olive oil and set aside for at least 20 minutes (which means the time the water boils and the pasta cooks)... and wash the thyme!

2) Mix ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano and the thyme leaves.






3) Cook the pasta in boiling salted water (30 grs salt/liter). Stir now and then.

4) Stir in the ricotta cream 4-5 spoons of the cooking water. 

5) Drain pasta in a colander and mix with the cream.

6) Dress with the oil and lemon zest and garnish with the thyme sprouts.