Spicy Caramelised Leek & Brown Butter Pasta

Published by

Jasmine

on

We’re definitely heading into cosy season so I’m kicking things off with this non-traditional but comforting and satisfying pasta featuring one of my favourite seasonal vegetables: the humble leek.

INGREDIENTS

Pasta and sauce:

Pasta (almost any shape can work – I used Trofie – Cassarecce, Rigatoni or Penne would also be great)

Leeks (ensure these are thoroughly cleaned)

Butter

Cayenne pepper

Oregano

Double cream

Italian hard cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino or a rennet-free alternative)

Aromatics:

Shallot

Garlic

Topping:

Pine nuts

Panko breadcrumbs

Chilli flakes

TIPS & NOTES

There are a couple of techniques involved here but they’re fairly simple and really level up the warm flavours in this dish, so are well worth getting familiar with.

The first is caramelising leeks, which essentially involves cooking them on a fairly low heat for a long period of time in oil so they soften up and begin to brown. Try not to slice the leeks too thinly or they will be more likely to burn. It’s important that they don’t dry out and burn so I recommend covering them to lock in hydration whilst they cook and having some water to hand so you can add it in one tablespoon at a time if things might be starting to get stuck or look like they’re going to burn. Once you get some browning or translucence then you can take them off the heat.

The second technique in this dish, which I personally love across sweet and savoury dishes for autumn is browning butter. This releases so much depth of flavour and it’s super easy (plus I sometimes do this when I accidentally overheat butter as a bit of a ‘save’!) Essentially, you melt the butter on a medium-low heat and let it go until it begins to ‘foam’. Then you continue to gently swirl the butter around in your pan every couple of minutes until small brown specks appear and the butter foams again. Then your brown butter is ready to go!

Spicy Caramelised Leek & Brown Butter Pasta

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A cosy leek pasta with spices and warm flavours

No special equipment or advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 220g of pasta (I used Trofie)
  • 2 leeks (topped, tailed, outer layer removed and cut into slices of a medium thickness)
  • A drizzle of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, pressed or grated)
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp of oregano
  • 30ml of double cream
  • 1 tsp of chilli flakes
  • 10g of panko breadcrumbs
  • 15g of pine nuts
  • 65g of Italian hard cheese (finely grated)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Heat up a little olive oil over a medium heat in a large, wide-based lidded pan, before reducing the heat to low
  2. Add the leeks, trying not to stack them, season with salt and pepper and cover to cook for around 15-20 minutes in total – add a little water 1 tbsp at a time if the leek pieces begins to stick and turn the pieces over halfway through so they’re slightly browned and a little translucent (set them aside once done)
  3. Boil a kettle
  4. Bring a saucepan of boiling water to a rolling boil and salt generously before adding the pasta and cooking al dente (i.e. if the pack suggests a 10 minute full cook time, instead cook for 8 minutes) – do not drain away the pasta water!
  5. In the leek pan (clear out any debris), add the butter and increase heat to medium – allow it to melt and foam slightly, at which point you should gently lift the pan and swirl the butter around in it – repeat this every couple of minutes and brown specks should appear within the butter and it will begin to foam, at which point you can add the shallot, garlic, cayenne pepper and oregano along with salt and pepper to taste and cook until fragrant before adding the leeks back in
  6. In a small frying pan, over a low-medium heat – add the breadcrumbs, chilli flakes and pine nuts and toast (stirring occasionally) for around 5 minutes until they pick up some colour
  7. Once the pasta is done, add it to the pan with the leeks, aromatics, herbs and spices and kill the heat
  8. Add the double cream and stir though before adding the Italian hard cheese one sprinkling at a time (don’t forget to save a little for topping), stirring continuously – add pasta water one ladle at a time to thin out and emulsify the sauce and the heat will help to melt the cheese
  9. Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, serve the pasta topped with the crispy breadcrumb, chilli and pine nut topping (and a little extra cheese)

Let me know if you try this pasta for autumn!

Check out the video version here:

Leave a comment