You, Me and Capri. Pictures don’t do it justice, words don’t do it justice – Capri is one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever had the privilege of exploring.

The Isle of Capri is one of three islands in the Bay of Naples – the other two being Procida (the smallest and still on my bucket list) and Ischia (the largest and quite possibly just as stunning) – and just a 40-80 minute scenic ferry ride (slow and fast ferry options) from Naples. I had the most memorable and ideal day in Capri, let me tell you about it.

We started the day off by renting a boat and driver to take us through the crystal clear turquoise water and around the famous rock formation, Faraglioni. Unfortunately, when I was in Capri, the water levels were a little high and I wasn’t able to explore the Blue Grotto, so I guess that means I’ll have to go back one day. How terrible! We still made the most of our time on the boat by taking in the view from afar and with a quick (chilly) dip. Next on the list: walk through the lush gardens, up the hills to the ‘top of the world’, take a million pictures up there, back down through the little alleyways and, of course, getting in some not so cheap shopping. Finally, a day in Capri is not complete without a meal in the Piazzetta, the main square in Capri. We had the most incredible fresh pasta filled with fragrant lemon sauce and a glass (or maybe a bottle) of limoncello. How can you not?

Capri is filled with vibrant flowers and juicy, bright lemons, so I just had to make a fresh lemon dish as my ode to this ridiculously magical isle. Did I say dish? I meant dishes, because I couldn’t decide on just one option for this delicious lemon butter sauce. I decided to turn it into a Southern Italian meal with lemons, herbs and nuts on everything and some tart limoncello to top it off! Even though the sauce is filled with butter, you actually feel good eating it because it’s so clean and fresh! Try this – you won’t be mad.

Yield: Serves 2-4

Lemon Butter Sauce

Note: The amount of sauce I made was enough for all of the below recipes. I didn’t add exactly how much of the lemon butter sauce to use for each dish, so just pour on the sauce to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2½ lemons, juice only (zest before juicing if using for other recipes)
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of sugar

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, constantly whisking. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the lemon juice, salt and sugar just for a couple minutes. Serve immediately.

Ravioli with Lemon Butter and Pistachios

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh ravioli (I chose ½ pound cacio e pepe and ½ pound squash and cheese filled ravioli because I couldn’t decide)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ tsp pepper
• ¼ cup toasted pistachios, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, to your liking (I added a lot!)

Preparation:

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add in salt and then ravioli. Once the ravioli start to float to the top of the pot (about 2 minutes), drain the pasta. Immediately add the lemon butter sauce, cheese and pepper to the ravioli and give it a quick, gentle toss. Top with chopped pistachios and more cheese if wanted.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Butter and Parsley

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breasts (about 2)
• ½ tsp garlic powder (or enough to coat each breast evenly)
• 1 tsp salt (or enough to coat each breast evenly)
• ½ tsp pepper (or enough to coat each breast evenly)
• canola oil for cooking
• ¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Heat the oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt and pepper all over the chicken. Add the chicken to the pan and cook on each side for 7-10 minutes (depends on the thickness) until no longer pink in the middle. Rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing. Pour the lemon butter sauce over the chicken and top with chopped parsley.

Lemon Butter Baby Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

• 1 big handful of baby brussels sprouts, rough ends removed
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• ½ tsp salt
• pinch of pepper

Preparation:

Boil the brussels sprouts for about 4-6 minutes, until fork tender. Drain the sprouts. Mix with lemon butter, salt, pepper and top with pine nuts.

Zesty Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 10-14 asparagus spears, rough ends removed
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch pepper
• zest of half a lemon

Preparation:

Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for a 3-4 minutes, until turning bright green. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour over lemon butter sauce and top with fresh lemon zest.