Name: Spaghetti con Pomodoro e Porri (Spaghetti with a Sauce of Tomatoes and Leeks)
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons/15 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional); Slightly more than 1 pound/500 g spaghetti; 3 medium-size leeks; 4 tablespoons/60 ml Ligurian extravirgin olive oil; 28-ounce/800-g can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano type; 1 pinch sea salt; 12 small basil leaves, wiped clean with paper toweling; Freshly ground black pepper to taste (optional)

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Recipes from Paradise

By Fred Plotkin

Published 1997

About

A family recipe of a certain Anna Rossi, who lives not too far from La Spezia.

Ingredients

3 medium-size leeks
4 tablespoons/60 ml Ligurian extravirgin olive oil

Method

Set a large pot of cold water to boil. In the meanwhile, carefully wash the white parts of the leeks and cut them into thin strips. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and then sauté the leeks for 3 to 4 minutes, making sure the oil does not get too hot and that the leek strips do not burn. Then add the tomatoes, which you should coarsely chop with a fork. Add the basil, salt, and optional pepper