Leeks and Pecorino
Imagine this: deep fried onion rings, the kind they serve at The Palm, hardly any batter and cooked to a deep brown; toasty tasting. Then imagine them with a smooth but piquant cheese sauce over them. Sound good? That’s what I think this salsina tastes like. I used penne pasta, but any pasta without eggs could be tried. This is fast, easy and rigorously vegetarian.
This recipe is for one serving of 3 ounces dry (100 g) pasta and can be multiplied easily.
Penne ai Porri e Pecorino
1/2 cup thinly sliced leek
1 Tablespoon olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes, large or small depending on whether yours are HOT or hot
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1+ ounce (30+ g) medium pecorino cheese, grated coarsely: medium pecorino cheese means not pecorino fresco nor one of the very fancy really aged ones, but just a normal sort of pecorino. I can’t recommend much of the pecorino romano I found in the US. Better to go to someplace where they let you taste what they have and select one that still has some butteriness, but also has some body.
Begin by putting the pasta water on to boil.
Slice the leeks about 1/8″ thick– that’s really thin. Heat a heavy frying pan big enough to hold the amount of pasta you are cooking, and when it is hot add the oil. Sauté the leeks, the red pepper and add a bit of salt. By now the pasta water ought to be boiling, so throw in the pasta and a small handful of salt. Stir the leeks around until they start becoming a bit browned, then add the cream. It will get quite thick very quickly. Ladle a bit of pasta water into it so that it is the consistency of thin cream, and add more later if necessary to keep it that way. Check for salt at some point.
As soon as the pasta is done just to chewy, more than what you think is al dente, REALLY al dente, drain the pasta and toss it into the frying pan of sauce, then add the grated pecorino over and stir around briefly, maybe half a minute. Serve while smoking hot. Fresh ground black pepper might be nice.
Al dente pasta is always important, but with cheese sauces it means more than just a pleasanter bite. Well-done pasta can actually take on a slimy feel in cheese sauce.
A bitter greens salad dressed with a lemon vinaigrette is nice with this.
This sounds just delicous! I’ve printed it out and taking it with me to NY to try out on my girlfriends…I think it’s gonna be a hit. Meanwhile, as I grimly pack I am cooking (again) your lentils with dijon, which we will eat tonight as a farewell cenetta when hubby gets home late from work!
Well today is my lucky day because I was just wondering what the heck to do with that stalk of leek in the fridge!
Judith, thanks for the great feedback on them thorny artichokes. Now I know how to attack the remaining 4!
This sound so good and so easy! Can’t wait to try it…thanks for sharing!
I’ve decided to specialize in simple stuff. And also to offer lots of things that can be made in small quantity. I’ve decided there are plenty of recipes for 4-12 people already.
Hey, Laurie, Barb and Rowena, would you report back after you make it? You know a recipe is different for every cook who makes it, and I think it would be cool to hear your experience and take on it.
PS/ did you get what I meant about the kind of pecorino to choose?
honey, after your to-die-for zuppa di pomodori, I’d follow you anywhere. Can’t wait for a quiet day in the kitchen to try it out. Mouth watering already, – V.
Considering how close you live to me, V, we could eat it together! Enjoy.
I’m doing some projects right now, but there are a few new dishes about ready, and soon I will be ready to do some Lenten diet dishes. I’m starting the annual Lenten diet early this year, because winter has been unmanageable this year and slimming won’t wait.
I can’t tell you how I adore leeks even though I cannot roll my “r’s” and cannot pronouce them the right way. I also love cheese and all crunchy things, basically everything you can put in a oven.
Then you will be happy with the new leek sformato recipe. I’m currently trying it out with other vegetables, but so far the leeks win. I think the other vegetables need more cheese and different cheese.
Porrrrrri.
I do tend to become entranced with one ingredient at a time, only this time it was stale bread and leeks together. But then, it would be stupid to be contemplating tomatoes in the middle of winter. Or zucchini or eggplant. You can get all those things, but winter is Porrrrri, brocolli, cabbage and celery root, right?
Finally fixed this dish yesterday for lunch and it was fabulous! No problem with the pecorino. thanks for sharing….now if I could only find the recipe for the lentils with the mustard vinagrette….where is it???
Hmmm, no archives! Gotta talk to Cristina. I found it by searching at the top for lentils.
I have more recipes, but problems with camera batteries…
Salade de Lenteilles Auvergnaise
About a pound of large green lentils– or other
1 carrot chopped very fine
1 1/2 small onion chopped fine
2 Tbsp olive oili
2 cubes or spoons of vegetable broth beads or bouillon
about 2 ounces of country style ham cut into batons of about 1/3 inch by 2″
about 1/4 cup good strong French style mustard
about 2 Tbsp of dry mustard powder mixed with water to form a creamy paste and left to develop flavor
Warm a large heavy pot, and put in the oil, the carrots, onion and ham. Sauté’ until the onion is clear. Add the lentils, stirring them into the mixture, then cover with hot water to about an inch over them. Simmer until the lentils are almost done, adding water as needed, then add salt but keep it just a little less salty than if you were eating them alone.
Take about 1/3 of the lentils out of the pot and stir in the prepared mustard. Start stirring in the homemade mustard and tasting. It should go right up your nose without burning your tongue very badly. Take it all the way to hot, stirring and tasting, because you have the other lentils to draw back with if you go too far.
This should jump right on your tongue, make your nose run, and the lentils should remain firmish. If they break up a bit, add more mustard and then add back some of the whole ones.
Served warm as a first course, like soup.
PS/ I made this vegetarian once and it was still good and I didn’t miss the ham.
thanks Judith!
Oh yum, leeks are in season here too. I haven’t hadd too much time for reading blogs lately, but I DO have half a wheel of semi-staggione pecorino left from the GTG! Hmmmmmm.
Pears are also in, and my ravioli were yummy! Your gorgonzola cookies were very well-received!