Penne ai porri — buttery leeks, Parmesan and hazelnuts

Name: Penne ai porri — buttery leeks, Parmesan and hazelnuts
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 220 g Penne rigate (dry weight; packet cooking time 10–12 minutes); 650 g Leeks (3 medium leeks (about 650 g bought); discard roots and dark green tops, leaving 400 g white and tender green parts); 80 g Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) (finely grated, certified kosher: 60 g in the sauce, 20 g at the table); 60 g Whipping cream, 38% fat (250 ml) (cream (shamenet metuka, 38% fat), about 60 ml, a quarter of a carton); 20 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) (1 generous knob); 10 g Extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp, to prevent the butter from burning); 20 g Hazelnuts (a small handful, preferably blanched); 5 g Garlic (1 clove); 3 g Lemon (zest of half an unwaxed lemon; keep the rest for another recipe or a squeeze of juice at the table); 0.3 g Whole nutmeg (1 pinch, freshly grated); 1 g Black peppercorns (about ten turns of the pepper mill, to serve); 1 g Fine salt (for the leeks; the Parmesan provides the rest); 80 g Water (to braise the leeks); 20 g Coarse salt (for 2 litres pasta water; about 2 g is retained, the rest discarded with the water)

dairy main dish · Italian · 2/5 · easy · 35 min, including 25 hands-on

Leeks slowly braised in butter until meltingly soft, brought together with a splash of cream, then penne finished in the sauté pan with pasta water and Parmesan. Lemon zest and toasted hazelnuts lift the sweetness.

Ingredients for two

220 g	Penne rigate dry weight; packet cooking time 10–12 minutes
650 g	Leeks 3 medium leeks (about 650 g bought); discard roots and dark green tops, leaving 400 g white and tender green parts
80 g	Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) finely grated, certified kosher: 60 g in the sauce, 20 g at the table
60 g	Whipping cream, 38% fat (250 ml) cream (shamenet metuka, 38% fat), about 60 ml, a quarter of a carton
20 g	Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) 1 generous knob
10 g	Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp, to prevent the butter from burning
20 g	Hazelnuts a small handful, preferably blanched
5 g	Garlic 1 clove
3 g	Lemon zest of half an unwaxed lemon; keep the rest for another recipe or a squeeze of juice at the table
0.3 g	Whole nutmeg 1 pinch, freshly grated
1 g	Black peppercorns about ten turns of the pepper mill, to serve
1 g	Fine salt for the leeks; the Parmesan provides the rest
80 g	Water to braise the leeks
20 g	Coarse salt for 2 litres pasta water; about 2 g is retained, the rest discarded with the water

Method

Heat 2 litres water in the covered 3 litre saucepan over a high heat. Trim the roots and dark green tops from the leeks, keeping only the white and tender green parts; halve lengthways, slice into 5 mm half-moons, wash in several changes of water and drain. Peel the garlic, remove the central shoot and finely chop. Grate the Parmesan and zest the half lemon.
Toast the hazelnuts in the dry sauté pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden and smelling toasted. Set aside and roughly crush with the flat of a knife. In the same pan, melt the butter with the oil over a medium-low heat. Add the leeks and 1 g salt and stir for 3 minutes without browning. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant but not coloured. Pour in the 80 g water, cover and braise over a low heat for 12 minutes, stirring halfway through.
After 5 minutes of braising, the water will be boiling: add the coarse salt, then the penne, and stir for the first 30 seconds. Cook for 2 minutes less than the packet time (8–10 minutes): they should still be firm, with a distinctly resistant centre, as they will finish cooking in the sauce.
Meanwhile, finish softening the leeks: they are ready when translucent, easily crushed with the spoon, and with only a spoonful of liquid left in the pan. If water remains, uncover and cook for 2 more minutes; if they catch, add 2 tbsp water. Add the cream and nutmeg and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, until the cream coats the leeks. Turn off the heat.
Scoop out 150 g pasta water with a cup, then drain the penne without rinsing and add them to the sauté pan. Add 60 g pasta water and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring vigorously: the pasta will finish cooking and become coated in sauce. Turn off the heat, wait 30 seconds, then add 60 g Parmesan in two batches, stirring vigorously and adding a little reserved water if the sauce thickens. It is ready when the sauce is creamy and glossy, coats every penne and has no strings of cheese. Taste and adjust the salt if needed, add the lemon zest and stir once more.
Serve immediately on two warm plates. Scatter each with chopped hazelnuts, a few turns of the pepper mill and the remaining Parmesan (20 g, at the table).

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.

Lighter version

How the taste changes:

The leeks become more prominent, and their sweetness stands out against a sauce that is less creamy and less buttery, with less of the Parmesan’s saltiness. The hazelnuts keep their toasted crunch.

Penne rigate : 160 g
Whipping cream, 38% fat (250 ml) : 30 g
Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece) : 50 g
Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block) : 10 g

Keep the same quantity of leeks (650 g bought, 400 g trimmed): with less pasta, the soft leeks take up more of the plate.

In step 5, add 40 g Parmesan to the sauce and reserve 10 g for the table; allow a little more pasta water to bring the sauce together.

80 g pasta per person with the same quantity of softened leeks and less cream, butter and Parmesan. The sauce retains its flavour, with a little more pasta water added at the end.

On your plate

Recipe

871 kcal · protein 31 g · carbs 84 g · fat 43 g

Quantities per person

110 g Penne rigate
325 g Leeks
40 g Parmesan or Grana Padano (250 g piece)
30 g Whipping cream, 38% fat (250 ml)
10 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block)
5 g Extra virgin olive oil
10 g Hazelnuts
2.5 g Garlic
1.5 g Lemon
0.15 g Whole nutmeg
0.5 g Black peppercorns
0.5 g Fine salt
40 g Water
10 g Coarse salt

Cooking tips

The softened leeks can be made the day before and kept in the fridge for 2 days: reheat with 2 tbsp water, add the cream at the last moment, then finish cooking the pasta in them. Cream with 38% fat will not split at a simmer; do not replace it with sour cream (shamenet hamutza), which would make the sauce tangy. Try mezze maniche or rigatoni as an alternative: they hold the leeks well. Without hazelnuts, breadcrumbs browned in butter give the same crunch.

Equipment : 26 cm sauté pan with a lid, 3 litre saucepan, colander, fine grater

Pasta ai porri, home cooking from Piedmont and Lombardy: leeks braised in butter, finished with panna and Parmigiano; the hazelnuts recall Piedmont’s tonda gentile variety.

Penne ai porri — buttery leeks, Parmesan and hazelnuts

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On your plate

Recipe

Cooking tips

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