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!

Chipotle Pasta

This is a yummy meal that Jeff and I like. We usually have to pull out some noodles and add the sauce before we put in the chipotle for Lynne because it can be too spicy. (We eyeball the chipotle so sometimes it burns your mouth and sometimes it's barely a hint of heat.)

I just googled this pasta and I guess it's based on a Cheesecake Factory dish.

1.5 lb of pasta (we use the garden rotini from Walmart)
1 jar alfredo sauce (feel free to make your own, if you feel like it)
1 lb (or less) of chicken, cut up
1 red pepper, cut into strips (we usually make them about the same length as the rotini)
1 TBsp (I think) of chipotle paste
parmesan cheese

We have only been able to find cans of chipotle peppers, so I found this recipe to make the chipotle paste. I split it into two small containers and toss one in the freezer. I bet half-filled ice cubes would be the perfect amount, too. Perhaps I'll do that once I make the next batch.

Anyway, start the pasta cooking. Cook up the chicken and the peppers in about a tablespoon of oil. I love how it smells as the peppers are cooking. Add the alfredo sauce. This is when you would put some aside for the non-spicy lovers in your house. Add the chipotle paste and let the sauce simmer while the pasta finishes cooking. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce.

Serve, topped with grated parmesan (use real parmesan, rather than the Kraft canned stuff - tastes better).