Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Leek, Laugh, Love

What do you do with those last few tall, hearty leeks from the garden? Make a little Leek-n-Shroom Penne Pasta I say! A bowl of this nice warm veggie-filled, bacon-topped pasta dish will make you happy. It's fast, easy, and delish!

This all started with me, clearing out a garden bed to plant radish seeds--those things love the cool March weather, and they will be done in four weeks, so I devoted one of the raised beds to my beautiful radishes--well, they will be radishes, soon. However, along with some stray plants and weeds, I still had three hearty leeks right in the middle of the bed that were from last summer--and those things stay all winter if you let them! I didn't have a dinner plan...so fresh leeks led the way.

Having been in the garden quite a while, it was really important to wash them well--slicing them length-wise first to get all the sand out under cold water.

LEEK-N-SHROOM PENNE

1-cook several slices of chopped bacon in a large pan
2-set cooked bacon aside, drain the pan leaving just a tiny bit of bacon dripping, and add two tablespoons butter and a splash of olive oil to the pan
3-Saute sliced leeks (about three) and add several sliced mushrooms--let saute a minute or two
4-Add about 1/2 cup white wine and let it reduce
5-After a couple of minutes toss in about 12 ounces of cooked penne pasta
6-Continue to saute and toss it all together, and serve topped with bacon bits and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese



 I think I will have more roma tomato plants than I know what to do with! But they are some of my favorite for Italian dishes--especially pasta. I can't wait to eat from the garden again!









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