Creamy One Pot Mushroom And Leek Pasta Food

CREAMY MUSHROOM AND LEEK PASTA

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large sautè pan.Add the sliced leeks with a pinch of salt and cook gently over a low to medium heat for about 20 minutes stirring regularly. The leeks should be very soft.
• Add 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of salt, cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp of thyme leaves and 3 cups of sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes.Turn up the heat and pour in the wine, the wine should sizzle when it hits the pan. Turn the heat down and let the leeks and mushrooms soak up the wine.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Add 1 heaped tbsp of plain/all-purpose flour, 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard and 1 heaped tbsp of creme fraiche to the leeks and mushrooms and stir well. Stir in the grated cheese and stir until melted.
• Now slowly start to add about 1 cup of water from the pasta to the leek and mushrooms.Add about 1/4 of the water and keep stirring until it is a thick sauce. Continue this until you have added all the water and you have a creamy, silky sauce. Check the seasoning now, add more salt or pepper if needed.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until all the pasta is covered in sauce.
• Serve immediately with shavings of pecorino cheese, some chopped parsley and cracked black pepper.

CREAMY ONE-POT MUSHROOM AND LEEK PASTA

Steps:

• Heat a wide, deep 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. When hot, add the olive oil and leeks, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and lightly golden, 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, then stir and cook, undisturbed, until the mushrooms start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, another 2 to 3 minutes. (This allows the water from the mushrooms to evaporate, encouraging caramelization.) Add the juice of one lemon half to deglaze the pan and stir to combine.
• Add the pasta and stock; stir well. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat. Begin tasting pasta 10 minutes after you add it. (All pasta shapes and brands will have different cooking times. You want the pasta to be just tender.)
• Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter and parsley. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half and stir until butter is melted and dispersed. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, top with ricotta, red-pepper flakes (to taste) and more chopped parsley.

PASTA WITH LEEKS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Trim root end of leeks, then cut off hard green leaves, leaving a bit of green where they meet the white part. Split leeks down the middle, then chop them, not too finely. Wash very well, and spin or shake dry. Set a large pot of water to boil, and salt it.
• Put half the butter or oil in a large skillet, and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later add garlic and chilies, and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic browns; remove chilies (and garlic if you prefer). Add leeks, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they wilt, about 10 minutes. Add pepper or tomato, and mushrooms, lower heat; continue to cook, stirring once in a while, until leeks begin to brown.
• Cook pasta until tender but not mushy. When it's done, drain it, reserving about ½ cup cooking liquid. Toss pasta and leeks together with remaining butter or oil, a few sprinklings of black pepper and all but a little of the parsley, adding a bit of cooking liquid if mixture seems dry. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish with remaining parsley, and serve.