Buttered Leek Fettuccine
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp cold salted butter divided
- 3 small leeks cleaned and thinly sliced into half-moons
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 8 oz fresh or dry fettuccine
- 2 oz (about ⅔ cup) finely grated parmesan cheese (grated on a box grater) plus more for garnish
- A handful of roasted hazelnuts for grating*
Instructions
- Bring a shallow amount of water to a boil in a medium pot. Boiling the pasta in less water creates a very starchy pasta water that is essential to create the sauce for this recipe.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large saute pan and melt over medium-low heat.
- Add in leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until the leeks are very soft, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat all the way down to low while you cook the pasta.
- Season the boiling water with salt and drop in the pasta. Cook until the pasta is just al dente.
- Drain pasta (reserving at least 2 mugsful of pasta water) and add the pasta to the pan with the leeks over low heat.
- Add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of cold butter along with a splash of pasta water. Toss until the butter has melted and the pasta is starting to look creamy.
- Add in the parmesan in three additions along with splashes of pasta water, tossing until fully melted before adding more cheese. Add as much pasta water as needed to create a creamy, emulsified sauce, and toss, toss, toss!
- Serve topped with more cheese, very finely grated hazelnuts (I use a microplane), and more black pepper.
Video
Notes
*Roast hazelnuts at 400F for 8-10 minutes until deeply golden brown. Rub the hazelnuts between two kitchen towels to remove most of the skins.
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