Rosemary Leek Pasta

"R" is for Rosemary!  I love the herb rosemary, how about you?  The original recipe came from a newspaper food section.  Where I used to work, we received the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Sacramento Bee; the newspapers had great food sections in those days.  I have long lost the recipe for this pasta and this is my version.  I hope you will try this recipe; it is really simple to make and yummy to eat!

When I first started making this I lived in California, and even in winter, when I needed fresh rosemary I would run to the parking lot of my church and snip some off the bushes.  I guess I didn't ever think about whether the rosemary had been fertilized or not!  Now, during the summers I have my own fresh rosemary. 

If you are unfamiliar with leeks, click HERE for a fun article on leeks and cleaning them by David Lebovitz.  He mentions that the French use leeks frequently in their cooking.  I also love leeks!  By the way, the leeks I have used are never as dirty as he shows in the article.  Don't skip using the feta; it is just what is needed in this pasta.  I also think this would be a great, minus the broth, pizza topping!

Rosemary Leek Pasta Recipe:
1 (13.25 ounce) package of whole wheat pasta
3-4 nice sized leeks, cleaned and chopped into small pieces.  Do not use the dark green, tough part of the leek.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Rosemary leaves from four (1 to 1-1/2 inch) pieces
1 (14 ounce) can of vegetable broth
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Put cleaned, chopped leeks and olive oil and butter in a large skillet.  Cook for about 10 minutes until leeks are soft, but not browned.  Add vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes.  Then add corn starch to thicken and add rosemary leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put 1/4 of pasta on dinner plate with 1/4 of leek mixture.  Top each dinner plate with 2 tablespoons of feta cheese and 2 tablespoons of walnut.  Note:  If you are a huge fan of rosemary, you may add more.  If you are not a fan, use less rosemary.  Serves four.

I am posting this with Jenny Matlock at Alphabe-Thursday where the letter of the week is "R."  Come stop by to see interesting and funny posts!


I am also posting this with Mama Bird's Whatcha Got Cooking Wednesday.