I've called this great dish, with its slap-you-round-the-face flavors, "cheat's pappardelle," as you can cheat by cutting your own pappardelle from ready-made fresh lasagne sheets. Pangrattato is a rich bread-crumb mixture originally used by poor people in Italy for giving their food extra flavor when they had no Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 5 big leeks, outer leaves trimmed back, washed
- Olive oil
- 3 good knobs butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- A small wineglass white wine
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
- 12 slices ham, preferably Parma
- 2 (8-ounce) packages fresh lasagne sheets
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
For the Pangrattato:
- 1 small handful dried porcini mushrooms
- 1/2 ciabatta bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Directions
Halve the leeks lengthways and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Heat a wide saucepan, add a splash of oil and a knob of butter, and when you hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of Parma ham, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat.
To make the pangrattato:
Whiz the mushrooms and bread with a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the rosemary and cook for a minute, then fry the bread crumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan - don't let the bread crumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on paper towels, discard the rosemary and garlic and allow the bread crumbs to cool.
Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lasagne sheets on a clean working surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Place the sheets on top of each other and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Toss through your fingers to shake out the pappardelle, then cook in the boiling water 2 minutes or until al dente.
Remove the Parma ham from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Add a little of the cooking water if need be, to give you a silky, smooth sauce. Serve quickly, sprinkled with some pangrattato, extra Parmesan and any leftover thyme tips. Serve the rest of the pangrattato in a bowl on the side.
"Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"
Photo: Cheat's Pappardelle with Slow-Braised Leeks and Crispy Porcini Pangrattato Recipe
















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By ItsMe!
on November 04, 2012
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This was really, really good! My husband and I both loved the lighter way to dress the pasta. I skipped the parma ham to make it vegetarian and used a pre-made garlic chive pappardelle that I bought from the farmers market. I added about a cup of fresh baby bella mushrooms which gave the bread crumb mixture a little more of a crumbled sausage texture. I will definitely make this again.
By marybeth312
Souderton, PA
on July 15, 2012
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Delicous! My husband seen this on tv if I would have seen this episode I would have said pass on this recipe. However my husband just finished making it for the second time and I am glad he didn't pass it up. He Followed recipe both times didn't change much although we did not have fresh pasta and Second time we didn't have butter in the house but it was just as good,
By officerbetty
Toronto
on April 15, 2012
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This is a complex tasting dish but easy easy to follow and prepare. All the steps to prepare are easy to follow, with room for minor mistakes and changes. i've made this for guests, family and myself to eat for take to work meals. Its one recipe i've used to impress many people. Leeks as great and easy to prepare. Thanks Jamie!
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