Monday Recipe: Creamy Pappardelle with Leeks and Bacon (via Bon Appetit)

     Being married to woman with Italian heritage carries with it certain burdens.

This certainly is one, but not the one I was thinking about.

     The burden particular to my wife is the demand for pasta. She has made it abundantly clear that I provide her with pasta dishes on a fairly regular basis. With that in mind, I find myself constantly scouring my books, magazines and web sites for new and exciting pasta dishes. I found one this weekend at Bon Appetit, my go-to source for recipes. I will now share it with you. I didn't have any pappardelle on hand, so I used penne and it worked fine. So with no further delay:

Creamy Penne With Leeks and Bacon (via Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine (I used penne)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5-8 minutes. 
2. Add leeks and season with salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until leeks begin to brown, 5-8 minutes. 
3. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
5. Add pasta, Parmesan, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta.

Makes 6 servings. 580 calories per serving.