Leek and hazelnut pasta

This is a quick and simple recipe, but it’s not particularly filling. I sometimes precede it with bread and dukkah to ensure that there’s a good, filling meal. You could of course simply make more, or more pasta and there’s always the no-fail filler of adding some beans to the meal. I think white beans would go best here.

It is well worth taking the little bit more effort to toast the hazelnuts, it completely transforms them!

I’m very fond of Brussels sprouts and like to make them a feature of my meals, rather than a side dish. If you look through the blog you will see several recipes with sprouts as star of the show. I suggest adding them in my variations at the bottom of this post and would say that they make this recipe even more interesting.

 

Ths recipe can be made gluten free with the appropriate pasta 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

olive oil

I whole, large leek, thoroughly cleaned

1/2 tsp salt

up to 1/4 tsp chilli flakes

1 large garlic clove, crushed or diced

2 heaped tbsp thick yoghurt

4 handfuls of short pasta such as fusilli

a generous grind of black pepper

a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

grated Parmesan*

Method:

• Heat a small frying pan or saucepan and then tip in the hazelnuts. Toast them until the skins darken and begin to shed. Shake the pan or stir the nuts frequently so that they don’t burn. Set aside and chop them when they get cool.
• Pour the olive oil into a larger frying pan, and while it’s heating, slit the leek down the middle and slice it into half moons. Use the dark green leaves as well (you may have to remove one or two and the discoloured parts at the top of the leek). Sprinkle the salt over and add the chilli flakes.
• Cover and cook over a moderate heat until the leek has softened. Check regularly to see that it’s not burning. Add the garlic and stir in the yoghurt. The leek should have produced quite a lot of juice, but if they look dry, add a little water, white wine or stock.
• In the meantime, cook the pasta to your taste.
• When the pasta is cooked, using a slotted spoon, add it to the frying pan and carefully mix everything together. Season generously with black pepper; taste and see if more salt is needed.
• Garnish with the parsley, should you happen to have some.

 Serve on heated plates or bowls, with

Notes:

• *If you prefer vegan food, use 'Parmegan' cheese.
• Substitute vegan yoghurt, if you prefer, or crème frâiche, or a similar product.
• If your leek seems really dirty, cut them about an inch below the first split leaf and take off the outer green leaves, one by one. Often you will only find dirt in the first few of them, which saves the tedious and unnecessary job of washing the whole leek. Unless you are a convinced vegetable washer, of course. I usually only give the a cursory rinse, if that.

Variation

• Add about a dozen Brussels sprouts, quartering the large ones and halving the smaller ones, in the frying pan with the leeks.
• Add 1/2 cup of white beans, soaked and cooked in the usual way, once the leeks have softened.
• If you have no parsley, use half a teaspoon or so of my mixed herb blend.
• Substitute walnuts for the hazelnuts.

 

You will find many more recipeslike this here and here