Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti (or Linguine)

3/4 cup parmigiano, grated

3/4 cup whole almonds

Zest from one fresh lemon, yellow part only

2 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil 

2 cloves garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste

Basil and parsley to taste 

1 small jar Pepper Drops (see Tips), for topping

Optional: Lemon-infused olive oil 

Directions:

Drain the pepper drops well and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions for Al Dente.

While the pasta is cooking, place the rest of the ingredients (except the peppers) into a food processor until a paste is achieved.

Add 1/2 a ladle of pasta water (or more, if needed) to loosen up the paste a bit and make it into a sauce.

Stir well and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Drain spaghetti into a large bowl and pour sauce over it. 

Gently stir spaghetti to make sure the sauce coats the pasta well.

Plate the spaghetti and sprinkle a few pepper drops over each individual portion before serving.

TIPS:

Red pepper drops (aka Binquinho red peppers) are baby peppers that look like berries. They are delicious fresh but very hard to find so I used the jarred variety that is available in the condiments section of (better) supermarkets or Brazilian stores. If you can’t find them, you can use diced red peppers.

For an extra burst of freshness, drizzle a little lemon infused olive oil and a few leaves of parsley over each plate.

If you can find fresh made spaghetti/linguine (from the refrigerated section of your supermarket or if you make your own), I recommend using it. The flavor will be even more intense. Just be aware that fresh pasta cooks very quickly and that you will need 1 lb and 4 Oz fresh pasta to equal the yield of 1 lb dry pasta.

Note: I used fresh linguine, as you can see from my picture.