ANYWAY
Leeks are a veggie in the onion family, they look like scallions on steroids, and taste divine! This recipe comes from the brains of Bon Appetite and I greatly appreciate them for that! I added some things here and there, but it's all good, you can do the same. The way it was presented in their recipe was this is a cheap but delicious meal on those awful weeks that rent is due and maybe you can't afford to go out and get a 30 pound prime rib roast. This is definitely a cheap treat, and who doesn't like that?!
It's such a simple dish and on this nasty muggy day, simple is welcomed in my house. Even though it might be too hot to cook, at least I'm not baking anything. But simple doesn't have to be boring, these flavors and ingredients pack a punch, you won't even be left saying "where's the beef"... or chicken, or pork. You get the picture. This is also a really good dish to make for company, so gather your most grateful friends and have yourself a get together.
I'm currently submerged in Mad Men. So maybe I picture myself as Betty Draper making this, waiting for Don to come home, probably in the middle of the night. Only to find him not liking it because it's not a ham sandwich, a girl with a mysterious look, or a cigarette. So I sit in the kitchen, in the middle of the night, in my perfect nightgown, chowing down being completely happy! Betty would never, but I'm not Betty.
Let's get into it though, shall we?
-1 lb pasta
-3 leeks
-1 lemon: zested and juiced
-4 anchovy filets (I just used paste, works just as well- 1 tbs)
-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want it hotter)
-1/2 cup chicken stock (or good white wine, if you have it)
-2 cups reserved pasta water (probably won't need that much, but you never know!)
-2 cloves garlic: finely chopped
-1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
-Olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper
1. Take your leeks, cut off the dark green tops and the very bottoms and slice them in half the long way.
2. Take half of the leeks and slice thin crescents width wise, set aside.
3. Take the other half of the leeks and slice slightly wider crescents, set aide separately.
4. Zest and juice the lemon, set aside.
5. Finely chop the garlic, set aside.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
7. While waiting for that to boil, separately take your different sized leeks and soak in bowls of cold water- be sure to separate the layers well in the water, they are very sandy. We aren't at the beach, we are in a kitchen! Pat dry and set aside again.
8. In a large skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil set to medium heat, throw in the thinly sliced leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they are golden and a bit crispy. When these are done, remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
9. When the water for the pasta has come to a rolling boil, salt the water, and drop the pasta. Cook until a minute or so away from being done. (The trick I use is to take a piece out of the water and bite into it- if there is any white in the middle it's not done yet. But in the case, you want the tiniest bit of white in the middle- we are going to finish cooking it later so right now you want a little bit of a bite.)
10. While the pasta cooks, in the same skillet as before on medium heat with a couple tablespoons of butter, toss in the anchovies and pepper flakes to cook for about a minute to flavor the fat, then throw in the chopped garlic, the larger cut leeks, artichokes, and half of the lemon zest, the lemon juice- salt and pepper. Sauté these together for a few minutes until the leeks begin to soften.
11. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan a bit and let it come to a boil, take off the heat.
12. When the pasta is just about done, put the skillet with the leeks mixture back on the heat and transfer the pasta from the pot to the skillet and incorporate it all together. **Don't drain the pasta, keep the water handy for now- it's a very nifty tool in this situation. If you are going to drain, reserve 2 cups of the water.)
13. With the skillet still on the heat, add about a cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and continuously toss to reduce the sauce- it'll start to thicken and become glossy. Add a little more water if the pasta starts to get too dry.
14. You're done! Plate up and sprinkle the crispy leeks over the top and devour!
This dish is insanely good, filling, and completely satisfying. Even though it might have been a liiiittle too hot to cook, it was worth it. And that's a lot coming from me, the girl who would live in an igloo if she had her choice.
Why make a hot kitchen hotter? Good food.
By the way, I think I could have gotten Don Draper to eat this, no problem. The new Betty, at your service.
Meaghan
