Pasta with Leeks and Feta Cheese
By Adriana Zanchi
I think leeks are one of the most underrated vegetables. One key element when cooking them is patience — let them sweat gently and you’ll obtain a rather comforting and delicious result. Perfect for a pasta sauce, or as the base for a pie, or a gratin or anything really.
This recipe was inspired by one of last year’s Cooking (in) the Gardens sessions. It was a really fun group project as we made the pasta from scratch and used the bbq to cook the leeks. However, while charring the leeks gives this dish a special smoky touch, not everybody owns a BBQ or has the capacity to grill leeks in the middle of February. For this reason I will share with you a different version, easy to replicate at home.
Ingredients (serves 2 people)
3 small to medium leeks
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
20 g butter
Salt, to taste
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
150 g feta cheese
180 g dried pasta (spaghetti, fusilli, spirali, conchiglie all work well)
Method
Wash your leeks thoroughly, trim the wiry root end and the very top. Peel off any outer tougher leaf. Now slice them thinly, place the cut leeks in a bowl filled with cold water and let them sit for 5 minutes to allow the dirt to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Drain and rinse again to remove any residues of grit or soil. It takes time but it’s definitely worth it if you don’t want to end up ruining your dish.
Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and half of the butter in a pan on medium heat, add the chopped leeks with a pinch of salt. Stir everything to combine and put a lid on the pan to let the leeks sweat for 15 minutes, stirring continuously and turning the heat down if they start to stick or to brown too much. When the leeks are ready they should be tender and silky. As mentioned before, don’t rush them! Turn the heat off and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt and add the pasta to it, cooking it according to the packet instructions. I always tend to drain it a couple of minutes before the recommended cooking time when I want to finish cooking it in the sauce, like in this case.
Once cooked, drain the pasta and make sure you reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water (this will help combine the sauce and the pasta). Turn on the heat under the pan with the leek sauce, add the drained pasta, a little bit of butter, the black pepper and a splash of cooking water. Stir everything together on low heat to allow pasta and sauce to meet and get cosy. Serve straight away by crumbling some feta cheese on top.
Notes
- If you’d like to make this dish by charring the leeks you can do so by grilling them on your bbq without peeling the outer leaves. This will require a thorough cleaning of the leeks without chopping them as soil and grit can hide between the leaves. Just clean them very well, trim the roots and place them straight on the grill allowing the heat to char the outside while the inside will cook and become nice and tender. Once ready peel off the charred layers and scoop the inside in a bowl. Chop roughly and finish the cooking in a frying pan with olive oil and butter, a bit of salt and black pepper (just like the instructions above). Your sauce is ready to welcome the pasta!
- Ruby Tandoh wrote a recipe for “Buttered miso linguine with leeks” that you can find along with many other wonderful dishes, in her book Cook As You Are. I could not recommend this book enough!
