Redemption: Leek & Parsley Pasta

This time I actually followed Mr B's recipe properly and... success! Very simple, and it used leeks and parsley that we already had in the fridge - handy, right?

The Recipe: Pasta with Leeks and Parsley
From How to Cook Everything (10th Anniversary Edition) by Mark Bittman

• Salt
• 4 tbspn extra virgin olive oil or butter
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed [used shallots instead, diced]
• 2 or 3 dried red chiles or hot red pepper flakes to taste
• 3 or 4 medium leeks (at least 1 lb), trimmed, washed, and chopped
• Half red pepper or 1 tomato, chopped (optional) [left this out too]
• 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, or other long pasta
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 0.75 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Serves 4

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Meanwhile, put half the oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic browns, about 2 mins. Remove the chiles (and the garlic, if you prefer).

2. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 mins. Add the bell pepper, if using, and lower the heat; continue to cook, stirring once in a while, until the leeks begin to caramelize, about 5 mins.

3. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. When it's done, drain it, reserving about half cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta and leeks together with the remaining oil or butter, a few sprinklings of black pepper, and all but a little of the parsley, adding a bit of the cooking water if the mixture seems dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve.

Thoughts/Tips/Mistakes

Maybe a little heavy-handed with the red pepper flakes. But it was remarkably tasty!

Pix

Beginning of step 2










End of step 2

On the plate - another fantastic shot, as usual