Just thought I'd share a recipe with you that I created for my tea this evening. I wanted something wintery and Christmasy, but not something pie-like or heavy, and I also fancied pasta.
So, I came up with this slow cooked bacon and leek spaghetti:
Apologies for the terrible photos, I was taking them with my plate balanced on my lap, sitting on the sofa watching Jamie Oliver, which always proves a bit of a distraction! But, it was very very tasty, and if you'd like to make it, here's what you need:
(bearing in mind this was a fairly huge portion for one person!)
- 2 leeks
- about 100g smoked bacon lardons
- 1 tbsp creme fraiche
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
- 150ish grams spaghetti - or whichever pasta you want really
- olive oil
- butter
- salt and pepper
And here's what to do:
- Put a good lug of olive oil into a medium sized saucepan with a knob of butter, and gently fry the bacon lardons.
- Wash and finely chop the leeks, then add them to the saucepan with the bacon.
- Stir it well to coat all the leeks and bacon with the butter, add a splash of cold water, turn down the heat and put the lid on. Give it a stir every 5 minutes or so and if it looks a bit dry add a splash more water, just to stop it catching on the bottom of the pan.
- After about 15 minutes, put your pasta on to cook as directed (everyone can cook pasta right?)
- When the pasta is nearly cooked, the leeks should be soft and lovely. Add to them a tablespoon each of creme fraiche and cream cheese, plus a ladle of the pasta cooking water.
- Taste the sauce and season as needed, then quickly drain the pasta, not letting it dry out, and put it into the saucepan of sauce (I prefer to use a slotted spoon to move the pasta from one pan to the other , so that you can add more water if necessary)
- Give everything a good stir, it should be loose and silky, if not, add some more pasta water.
- Check the seasoning again, and serve it in a big bowl with a drizzle of oil, some extra pepper and some toasted ciabatta if you're really hungry.
(Note: I used half fat creme fraiche and light cream cheese, but it's up to you what you choose)
Enjoy!
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