Monday, May 17, 2010

Pasta with Leeks, Spinach, and Sundried Tomatoes

Captious vegetarian posted about this recipe recently, and it just sounded like a great combination of flavors and perfect for the veggies I was seeing at the verduleria. Here's the version I made:

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 large leeks, total weight about 450g/1lb, thinly sliced
  • 500g pasta
  • 200ml tub Casan Crem*
  • 1 T. mustard
  • 125g Roquefort cheese
  • 8 sundried tomatoes
  • 225g bag spinach leaves
  1. Soak the sun dried tomatoes in 1/2 cup boiling water. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
  2. Heat the oil in another large pot (do this part first if you only have one pot). Add the leeks and a pinch of salt, and splash in a little hot water. Cover and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
  3. When the leeks are done, add the mustard and mix. Add in the spinach leaves, cover, and turn off the heat.
  4. Cook the pasta in salted water. Drain the pasta.
  5. At this point the tomatoes should be soft. Remove from the water, reserving the soaking liquid. Slice the tomatoes and add them to the vegetables with the Casan Crem. When the pasta is done add it to the sauce as well, adding enough of the tomato soaking liquid to make the sauce coat the pasta. Heat gently and serve immediately.

*Casan Crem is often thought of as the Argentine equivalent of sour cream. It has the texture of cream cheese, but that sour twang you find in…sour cream! The original recipe calls for crème fraîche

Comments: This was delicious, but unnecessarily heavy. I think the Casan crem was a bit much, and would like to try it again without, and maybe a touch more olive oil, if necessary.

3 comments:

  1. This doesn't have anything to do with this post, but I thought you'd be more likely to see it here. Where did you find chili powder? The closest I've come is hot paprika. Today I found a mixture that might be closer to American chili powder but it's not ground very finely. Just wondering if you've found a brand that works as a good substitute.

    Also, (on the subject of this post) if your pasta seemed thick you could try using Casan Crem light.

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  2. Jaja...I just posted on your blog about the chili powder. When I went home, I bought the biggest container I could find. There's a simple recipe here, if you want to try making your own, but I don't know of anything here that's comparable. http://southernfood.about.com/od/seasoningrecipes/r/bl30420j.htm

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  3. P.S. And thanks for the CasanCrem light idea...I'd like to lighten it even more without CasanCrem, but if that doesn't work, I'll definitely try the light.

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