Lemony Caper Pasta: On The Cheap

Here is a fantastic, inexpensive, mostly vegeterian dish that makes my heart sing, my tummy rejoice and my budget stay in tact. I use chicken stock in mine but you can surely use veggie stock if you prefer. I won't lie, chicken stock is way better flavor wise in this dish so think hard about if you are a vegetarian or a sometimes omnivore and plan this recipe accordingly. Did I just cause you to question your every food related conviction? That is what I am all about, making you think the hard thoughts. And cooking food. I am also about that.

I have never had leftovers of this dish because the recipe is for 2 big bowls of pasta. Plan accordingly if you need to feed a larger crowd or like to nuke pasta for lunch. Not sure on its nuking abilities, I have a hunch it gets really dry...let me know your results if you try to nuke yours.
To double this recipe you only need one extra lemon and one extra cup of stock. The rest of the ingredients call for 1/2 or less of the container so you would just use what ever extras you have.
This recipe for 2 huge bowls of pasta is not super cheap, I'll be honest. About $6.50 but I think it is an indulgence worth taking. To double it, add about $2.50 to the bill. So for $9.00 you can feed 4 very happy people.

Shopping List:
One cup of chicken stock ( comes in a small box in the soup aisle)
One small jar of capers in brine ( non flavored and non vinegar packed)
One large lemon
2 shallots ( not two cloves if you are thinking of shallots being like garlic, two full shallots. Think of them like onions even though they have cloves in side. You need two full purple shallot bulbs)
About 1/4 to 1/2 box of thin spaghetti ( not angel hair, it won't hold the sauce as well as a thicker noodle)
Some thyme ( fresh or dried or not at all)
1/4 cup olive oil
2tbsp butter ( I just grab a hunk out of the dish, there is no exact science when it comes to butter)

To cook:

Boil a mondo pot of water for your pasta. This is a very quick sauce so you want to toss your noodles in as soon as the water boils. The pasta should be al dente- set the timer to whatever the box says and ignore your noodles till it beeps.

Grab a large pan ( sauce pan or saucier if you have one) You will need a fair amount of room because the noodles will join your sauce for a few minutes at the end and you need to have about 4-6 inches of depth and preferably about 12- 14 inches of diameter. A pan that meets these criteria is a fantastic investment. I bought mine 2 years ago on Mother's day special at Macy's for about $15. I use it is a wok and all sorts of other things.
Moving on....

1.In this pan over medium heat add 1/4 cup of olive oil.
2.Chop your shallots up finely.
3.Before you toss the shallots in your oil add your butter. You don't want to add it too soon because butter burns super easy. The olive oil helps prevent the burn so wait till the last second to add it.
4.Once your butter is melty toss the shallots in and saute for about 2 minutes until they are tender. ( Note: If your oil is spattering you need to turn down your heat, it is too hot to cook the shallots properly and they will burn).

5.To the butter/ shallot/ Oil mix, add in your cup of stock. Give it a stir and then let it simmer and burble until it thickens up, about 3 minutes. Maybe a smidge more.

6.While this is burbling, grab your lemon and a micro plane ( teeny bladed cheese grater) or zester or your regular old cheese grater ( use the fine blades) and zest up that lemon. You can skip the lemon zest if you want, I just think it adds more flavor.
7.After you have zested your lemon, cut it in half and squeeze the juice into your sauce. Careful to not get any seeds in there, it makes for a nasty surprise. Give your sauce a good stir.
8. Drain your perfectly cooked pasta, toss it into the pan with your sauce.
9. Toss the pasta with the sauce and let simmer in the sauce for about a minute.
10. While the sauce is simmering, drain and rinse 1/4 cup of capers. This is about 1/2 the small bottle.
11. Toss the capers and a pinch of thyme into the mix and toss it all around.
12. Serve immediately.
13. Enjoy the very satisfying yet light and delicious pasta.

ps....if you like meat with your pasta, a grilled fish seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice would go awesome with this dish... just saying...

Did you like it? Let me know!!
Got a good idea for a meal on the cheap? Shoot me a message and I'll tell you how to be a guest cheap skate. I don't just do entrees and the like, if you have any good food ideas for deserts, side dishes etc...I want to hear them and the internets want to read them!