Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks

SOOOO delicious. I don't eat leftovers, but I'm wishing Jeff wasn't taking what was left for his lunch tomorrow so I could eat the rest. (Either tomorrow for lunch, or RIGHT NOW, even though I'm completely stuffed.)

It's a Pioneer Woman recipe. Almost all of her recipes I want to try but I have only tried three (the breakfast casseroles, for those of you that were awesome enough to be here for Lucas' blessing). Even though I'm going to post the recipe here (with a change or two), click on through to see the yummy pictures: the recipe.

I've seen the leeks at the grocery store, and I've seen Rachel Ray use them (you know, when I watched her show, when I had tv channels), but I've never had them (to my knowledge). I believe we have added another vegetable to our "to buy regularly" list. Beets and leeks. What's next? Super, super mild onion flavor, but not quite. (Jessica, you still have to try this recipe. Or I'll just make it when you come down next.)

It's also super easy to throw together. It takes more time than a quick, throw together meal because you have to cook the bacon, and then cook the leeks, but it's definitely going in our keep file.



Ingredients

- 12 ounces pasta (I used bowtie)
- 3 ounces chopped pancetta (I used half a pack of thick sliced bacon because that's what Walmart had)
- 3 whole leeks (mine were huge, as I was cutting them, it looked like a lot, but they cook down a lot and I wouldn't have used less - also, make sure you rinse them well; I put the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water and swished them around for a bit, then scooped them out of the water with a slotted spoon)
- 1-2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (substituted for dry white wine, though... I may try it again)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste (didn't even realize this was in the recipe, so I didn't use any)
- Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Saute chopped pancetta until fat is rendered and it starts to brown. Add thinly sliced leeks and cook for 8 minutes (add butter somewhere in these 8 minutes, after bacon is browned). Pour in chicken broth, then cook an additional 1-2 minutes, until reduced. Reduce heat to low, then pour in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in Parmesan shavings. Toss in pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin as needed. Serve with Parmesan shavings over the top—delicious!



Off to find more leek recipes!