Pappardelle with Braised Leeks and Prosciutto and Porcini Pangrattato

By LeeBoruchow

Ingredients

• Pangrattato:
• 4 big leeks, outer leaves trimmed back, washed
• Olive oil
• 3 knobs butter, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• A small glass of white wine
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
• 12 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 1 recipe pappardelle
• 1 handful freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 1 small handful dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 ciabatta bread, cut into chunks
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Halve the leeks lengthways and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Heat a wide saucepan, add a splash of oil and a knob of butter. Add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks and stir. Pour in the wine, and let simmer briefly. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of prosciutto, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat.

To make the pangrattato:

Whiz the mushrooms and bread with a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the rosemary and cook for a minute, then fry the bread crumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Srain on paper towels, discard the rosemary and garlic and allow the bread crumbs to cool.

Bring a big pan of salted water to boil. Cook the papardelle 2 minutes or until al dente.

Remove the prosciutto from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Add a little of the cooking water if need be, to give you a silky, smooth sauce. Serve quickly, sprinkled with some pangrattato, extra Parmesan and any leftover thyme tips. Serve the rest of the pangrattato in a bowl on the side.