Benford’s Lemon Pasta

Name: Benford’s Lemon Pasta
Total time: 2700 s
Yield: 2 people as main or 4 as primi
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 tin quality anchovies in oil; 1 medium sized leek; 1 lemon; 250 g bucatini, linguine, or spaghetti; 2 slices good sourdough bread; 4 medium cloves of garlic; chili flakes to taste; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 handful flat leaved parsley; Optional - quartered cherry tomatoes

jesseclark @jesseclark

Bristol, U.K.

This recipe is from the end of chapter 13 of The Kremlin’s Candidate, book three of the Red Sparrow Trilogy by Jason Mathews.

Benford eats this pasta at the Executive Dining Room in Langley.

Despite containing anchovies and chilis this pasta has a subtle balance of flavors. Salty, fishy, and a bit spicy, yes, but these are balanced by the acid of the lemon juice, the verdant parsley, and a touch of sweetness from the reduced leeks.

This recipe is from the end of chapter 13 of The Kremlin’s Candidate, book three of the Red Sparrow Trilogy by Jason Mathews.

Benford eats this pasta at the Executive Dining Room in Langley.

jesseclark @jesseclark

Bristol, U.K.

This recipe is from the end of chapter 13 of The Kremlin’s Candidate, book three of the Red Sparrow Trilogy by Jason Mathews.

Benford eats this pasta at the Executive Dining Room in Langley.

This recipe is from the end of chapter 13 of The Kremlin’s Candidate, book three of the Red Sparrow Trilogy by Jason Mathews.

Benford eats this pasta at the Executive Dining Room in Langley.

Saved

Ingredients

45 mins

2 people as main or 4 as primi

Sauce and Pasta
1 tinquality anchovies in oil
1medium sized leek
1lemon
250 gbucatini, linguine, or spaghetti
Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 slicesgood sourdough bread
4medium cloves of garlic
chili flakes to taste
2 tbspolive oil
Garnish
1 handfulflat leaved parsley
Optional - quartered cherry tomatoes

Saved

Steps

45 mins

1

Trim the tough green tops and the root end off of the leek. Cut in half across the center then split each half lengthwise. Slice the quarters into.5 to 1 cm strips.
2

Place the leeks in a large bowl and fill with luke warm water. Rub the leek strips with your hands to separate them and loosen any grit that might have grown between the layers. Let soak for a few minutes, rub them again, then drain, and let them drip dry for 5 minutes or so.
3

Start a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
4

Open the tin of anchovies. If you want a slightly less fishy dish, drain the oil out of the tin and put the anchovy filets in a medium sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. If you like fishy skip draining the tin and add the oil from the tin and the filets without extra olive oil.
5

Turn on the heat the heat under the pan to medium low. Add the leeks and stir to combine. Monitor the heat throughout the cooking. We want to gently soften and reduce the leeks without browning them.
6

Peel and grate or finely mince the garlic.
7

Toast the bread and chop into coarse crumbs or pulse in a food processor.
8

Add the pasta to the water. Stir frequently as it first begins to soften and occasionally thereafter until al dente.
9

Add a couple of tablespoons of oil the garlic and chili flakes to a sauté pan over medium low heat. Cook stirring frequently just until the garlic begins to slightly color.
10

Add the bread crumbs to garlic and chili and stir to combine. Stirring occasionally toast the bread crumbs over medium low heat until golden brown.
11

Wash, stem, and finely chop the parsley.
12

Squeeze the juice from the lemon removing the seeds.
13

When the pasta is al denté, drain and add to the pot with the anchovies and leeks. Add the lemon juice and stir until the leeks and anchovies are well distributed in the pasta.
14

Mound each serving of pasta in a pasta bowl or plate. Sprinkle with a generous amount of bread crumbs and parsley and enjoy.
15

Alternatively you could toss parsley and bread crumbs in with the pasta and sauce then top with a little more after plating.