3small leekscleaned and thinly sliced into half-moons
Kosher salt and black pepperto taste
8ozfresh 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 hazelnutsfor 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.