Pasta Harmonia
I love leeks. I know, I know, they look like giant green onions, and how can you love something like that? Well, they’re not true onions, although they’re related, and they have the mildest bit of onion-y flavor. I bought them on a whim at the farmers’ market in Chicago a few years ago thinking I might make some soup, and just ended up sauteeing them in some olive oil. I ate the whole panful in one sitting.
I still eat them like that sometimes – just sauteed on their own, a little bit of lemon juice drizzled on while they’re cooking, but I find that they’re good in many dishes. Mireille Guiliano of French Women Don’t Get Fat swears that cooked leeks have the power to “re-cast” one’s metabolism, but I’m just in love with their flavor.
I had a hunch that they would be great with pasta, so a few years back, when I was living with my friend Amy, I developed the recipe below. It started out with just whole wheat rotini and sauteed leeks, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. At some point, I began adding pine nuts, and eventually, sun dried tomatoes. The colors and flavors of all three meld together beautifully. As a main dish, this is innately vegetarian, but if you must have some protein in your pasta, grilled chicken is a nice complement.
I started calling it “Pasta Harmonia” as a joke because of course, pasta is Italian, and “Harmonia” (the “H” is silent, by the way) is Italian for “Harmony.” When I was in sixth grade, my social studies class included language exploratories, and I studied Italian. My teacher, Mr. Helferich, who was a favorite, called me “Harmonia,” for the rest of my middle school years.
Anyway, I’ve made this for a number of dinner parties – it’s quick and delicious, and gets good reviews – and the name has stuck. Serve it with some good bread and a simple salad, and you have a filling meal.
Pasta Harmonia
1 pound whole wheat or multigrain pasta (I like rotini, but anything other than long noodles works well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds leeks, trimmed, washed, and sliced thin (just the white and pale green parts)
1 cup pine nuts (pignolis)
half a lemon
12 ounces sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Fill a large pot 3/4 full with cold water, adding a splash of olive oil and a few dashes of salt. Bring to a boil. Add pasta, and cook 8-10 minutes, until tender. Drain.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Sautee the leeks and pine nuts together until the leeks are tender and have separated into rings, and the pine nuts are toasted. Squeeze the half a lemon over all, and stir in the juice. Remove from heat. Using a spoon, remove the sun dried tomatoes from their oil and add to the pan (reserve the oil and mix with vinegar, salt, and pepper for a wonderful salad dressing later). Salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the vegetables and pasta together, adding a drizzle more olive oil if needed. Top with grated cheese and serve family-style on a large platter.
Serves 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side.
