Recipe Review: Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks

I told you last week that I was going to make PW's Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks.

And I did - and it was delicious... with a few minor changes.

1) I used campagnelle pasta instead of farfalle - because it holds the sauce better. I tried explaining this to Chad, but then he said, "Well why wouldn't you always use it... since you always have pasta with sauce?" Then I said, "I would but YOU like plain old spaghetti best... and that doesn't hold the sauce at all." Point for me.

2) I wasn't digging the way PW sauteed the pancetta and kept it in the pan while adding all the liquids. I was afraid it would become soggy. So I crisped my pancetta, and removed it from the pan before adding the leeks. Then I tossed the pancetta back in at the very end, so it stayed nice and crispy. It was a better contrast of textures.

3) I didn't add butter. I didn't really think there was a need for it, so why not save the calories? Chad got mad that omitted the butter step (just like I did when I made this recipe.) Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

4) Instead of all cream, I did half cream and half half-and-half. Yes that's 4 "halfs" in one sentence. Again... save more calories.

Also - a tip for eating: Try to get a bite of pancetta in every bite - to eliminate the need for adding a lot of extra salt. The cheese and pancetta give it all the saltiness you need!

And you notice that I didn't take a picture this time. I'm ashamed of my crappy old camera and I'm going to withhold pictures (for as long as I can), until I can get a D-SLR camera. We're in the process of researching them... so holler if you have one you like!