French in a Flash: Drunken Angel Hair with Leeks and Cream
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Children always grow up too fast. For me, that meant wanting to drink wine so desperately so I could be just like Maman. But she had a strategy for dealing with me: just say yes.
It's hard to imagine extricating the French from their wine, and as we know from French Women Don't Get Fat, denial is not a part of the French regime, but rationing is. Many French children, yours truly included, start training for the main event—a glass of wine with dinner—from a very young age. First, we get a finger dipped in a glass of smoky Merlot. Then, a splash of Sauvignon Blanc diluted into our water. That's where I got the idea for this week's recipe: Drunken Angel Hair with Leeks and Cream.
The angel hair is cooked in a boiling cauldron of water and white wine, just like I had drank as a child, and then tossed together with a soft, sweet sautéed spaghetti-julienne of leeks and sweet cream, plus a little more "raw" wine to finish it off. It's like a drunken Vichyssoise with pasta instead of potato.
My First Taste of Drunkenness
When I was three years old, I made the very wise and informed decision that I was now old enough to have my first taste of wine. I informed Maman; she took me very seriously. She dipped her finger into her red wine, and proffered it to me. It was everything I expected—it felt like magic. That great whoosh of the alcohol as it whisps through your head. The stick of the tannins as they settle on your tongue. I felt enchanted, and initiated. As soon as Maman turned her back, I decided to stick my finger into all the other wine glasses at the wedding, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep for nearly an entire day. I never drank too much wine again.*
This wine cost me $4.50
All this angel hair has to do is pass out on your plate. You job is just to make it as devilish and inebriated as possible and give it all the white wine you can find. What I love about this dish is that if I have a bottle of wine that I don't like, a really cheap bottle, or the ends of four or five bottles, I can use them all. The pasta will be so drunk, it won't know the difference.
* Maman likes to joke that she never had to worry about me in college because I got it out of my system so young. Then again, Maman also tried to insist that I order a glass of wine at dinner when I turned eighteen, and when I told her that the American drinking age was twenty-one, she looked at me as if she had never heard the thing before. "Are you serious?" she blinked.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She also writes the The Secret Ingredient series for Serious Eats.
The leeks should be so soft and sweet that they are indistinguishable from the pasta itself
Drunken Angel Hair with Leeks and Cream
- serves 6 -
Ingredients
3 small to medium leeks, whites and light greens sliced into julienne
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup water, plus extra if needed
1 bottle of white wine, 3/4 cup reserved
1 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chervil, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Procedure
1. In a wide, preferably nonstick sauté pan, melt the butter in 1/4 cup water on medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cover with a lid, lowering the heat all the way down. Cook until soft and spaghetti-like, about 20 minutes, adding water whenever the pan gets too dry, to avoid burning the leeks, and conversely evaporating off any extra liquid once the leeks are soft and sweet.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add all the wine in the bottle except 3/4 cup, and a handful of coarse salt. Add the angel hair to the boiling water and wine, and cook until al dente, just a few minutes.
3. In the pan with the leeks, add 1/2 cup of wine, and allow to reduce slightly. Add the cream, and heat through. Add the cooked angel hair and some pasta water, and toss the pasta to incorporate. I like to add the final 1/4 cup of wine "raw" so that the alcohol is still palatable, but that's your choice. You just want enough wine and pasta water to create a sauce from the leeks and the cream that lightly coats the angel hair. Add a lot of freshly cracked black pepper, and the Parmesan and chervil. Voila! All done.
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14 Comments:
I love the story about your mom offering you that first taste of wine. I have fond memories of my dad also educating me on wine and spirits. Regarding the recipe, I've been an avid fan of the drunken pasta that was posted on this site back in April. I'm very much looking forward to making your recipe too now - wine, cream, cheese, pasta, more wine! How decadent!
Amandarama at 5:14PM on 08/27/09
amazing recipe!
muffintops at 5:35PM on 08/27/09
I could eat this every day.
CJ McD at 6:30PM on 08/27/09
Love your stories, as always. I second CJ McD. I could eat this every day. This is SOOOO my kind of pasta - the wine, the leeks, the lack of tomatoes... heaven.
alosha7777 at 7:09PM on 08/27/09
YUM!!!
juliebugsmama at 8:29AM on 08/28/09
this looks so good!!!
literatured at 2:10PM on 08/28/09
I suddenly wish my parents leaned more on their French Heritage than their Irish. . .
Chef Colin at 2:14PM on 08/29/09
I'm always excited whenever you post your recipes -- the brief history and memories behind them are touching.
This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it out. :D
avaryne at 11:15AM on 08/31/09
I made this over the weekend, but with a few tweaks.
I didn't cook the pasta in wine (didn't have enough), but I did splash some in with the leeks. Also, instead of cream, I used some left over gorgonzola. I thought it was a nice complement to the slight oniony flavor of the leeks.
Very nice recipe-- thank you for the ideas!
bkbella at 9:33PM on 09/03/09
I found some giant leeks at my farmers market so I made this last night. Absolutely delicious but I live by myself so now have about a pound of leftovers. Anyone want some?
wilma at 10:49AM on 09/04/09
I know, Wilma! I found the most gigantic leek I've ever seen at my farmers market! It's actually what inspired this dish. Reheating tips (because I've been there): nonstick saute pan with a lid, dash of water, dash of cream (or milk or half and half), and let it heat through before you move it around too much, or the angel hair will tend to break.
Kerry Saretsky at 10:56AM on 09/04/09
What an interesting background story and luscious looking graphic! What about the tried and true theory that a cooking wine should be as good as a drinking wine? I understand the wine is diluted but..... I'm intrigued to try it and will do so with a bit of good wine. Any advice?
cienfuegos at 8:02AM on 09/08/09
@cienfuegos: You're absolutely right that you shouldn't cook with wine you wouldn't drink. I always use wine that's drinkable. When I say I use wine that I don't like, that's not to say that nobody likes it. It's a decent wine; just maybe one that I personally don't want to sip out of the glass again. In my house, there's always one too many bottles of white wine open in the fridge. So, for me, truth be told, when I'm making this dish, it'll usually be like, gosh, I still have this, better use it up! Clearly, nothing else is being done with it. That's what goes into the boiling water. The sauce, however, is reduced, and especially because you are adding raw wine at the end, that flavor will be more distinguishable when you make the dish. So for that, you may want to think a bit more. If the wine was acidic, or you just didn't like it, it's true--you won't like it in your food. As I was doing my actual tests to write this recipe, I used the $4.50 white wine that you see pictured above--the one that I usually pour into my water at dinner! It worked perfectly. Because you have the cream and the leeks, what you're really getting from the wine is a nudge of flavor, an alcoholic hint. I would not use an expensive wine here, because I think it will get lost. You taste wine, but you can't taste WHICH wine. But, this proves the point that good wine is not always expensive. So, to sum up, don't waste something you'll miss, but don't treat the pasta water like a sewer either.
Kerry Saretsky at 8:50AM on 09/08/09
I just made this about 20 minutes ago. I had leeks in my fridge and came across this recipe. I normally cook down the leeks with butter, stick them in the fridge and dole them out on crusty bread or sandwiches, but this is a great change! Delicious!!!!! 5/5 stars!!!! Except for starting the leeks, this dish came together very fast. Such a nice change from tomato based dishes or heavy cream sauces and the wine adds such great flavor, even if it only so-so wine. I stuck to the recipe, except the chervil; so instead added some julienned spring onions and a little chopped flat leaf parsley.
I will add this to the rotation. Thanks!
lcbeec at 8:45PM on 09/12/09