This pasta dish, with summer leeks and shrimp, tastes good at any temperature
I advocate this week on behalf of summer leeks, which tend to get overlooked at the farmers market. They are milder in flavor than their winter-harvest ilk and saute easily into the kind of savory, slip-sliding mix-in that makes this pasta dish such a happy jumble.
Even with its thinner profile, the summer leek still needs the same care and attention to rid its many layers of grit. Because we're slicing them into thin rounds, it's best to drop them into a bowl of cold water with ice cubes and let them sit for a few minutes, during which time the grit will fall to the bottom. Then, use slotted spoon to lift them out of the water - don't tip the bowl and drain or the grit will be reintroduced. If a few ice cubes go into the pan, that's okay.
For this recipe, be sure to look for dried fettuccine packaged in cello bags - the noodles will be eggy and delicate-looking, not the straight and wider dried fettuccine in a box. They will cook quicker and insinuate themselves so well with the saucy leeks, shrimp and almonds.
The dish is light-tasting. Even though it's pegged at four to six servings, if you don't have that many plates to fill, I recommend making the batch as is for leftovers the next day. Just add a handful of chopped fresh tomato or avocado cubes, a splash of white wine vinegar and/or olive oil for Round Two, served cool or at room temperature.