NOODLES WITH SLOW-BRAISED LEEKS AND CRISPY PORCINI PANGRATTATO

NOODLES WITH SLOW-BRAISED LEEKS AND CRISPY PORCINI PANGRATTATO image

Categories Pasta

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

5 big leeks, outer leaves trimmed back, washed
Olive oil
3 knobs of butter
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
A small wineglass of white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pint good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
12 slices of Parma ham
2x8 ounce packets of fresh lasagne sheets
Flour, for dusting
2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Pangrattato
A small handful of dried porcini mushroom
1/2 a ciabatta bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A sprig of fresh rosemary

Steps:

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 the butter, and when you can hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of Parma ham, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for about 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 breadcrumbs. 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 breadcrumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan - don't let the breadcrumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on kitchen paper, discard the rosemary and garlic, and allow the breadcrumbs to cool. Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lasagna sheets on a clean working surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Place the sheets on top of each other and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Toss through your fingers to shake out the pappardelle, then cook in the boiling water for 2 minutes or until al dente. Remove the Parma ham 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.