Musselburgh Leeks with Langoustines Penne

Freshly Prepared Supper Penne Dish with Piquant Prawn Butter Sauce

Dec 12, 2008 Susan Morris

Cayenne and black pepper brings out the prawn buttery coating to this mid season Musselburgh leeks and Scottish langoustines penne supper dish.

Fresh seasonal leeks that release their juices on cutting for the pot or wok will be an unbeatable addition to a straightforward lunch or supper recipe.

Here’s a recipe that cooks Scottish variety of leeks, Musselburgh leeks, with langoustines, preferably from Scotland, butter and olive oil with cayenne and black pepper to finish off before running through penne to serve.

Musselburgh Leeks With Prawns Penne Recipe

Ingredients:

For two servings

• 5 fresh leeks
• 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
• 350g frozen-at-sea langoustines or prawns
• 200g dried penne pasta
• 75g unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Olive oil
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare, in advance if required, the frozen-at-sea langoustines or prawns carefully following the instructions on their packaging.
2. Cook the dried penne pasta for 10-12 minutes (or less if the instructions suggest this) in a saucepan of boiling water.
3. Melt the butter in a separate deep sided non-stick saucepan or wok.
4. Chop the leeks into rings of around 1 cm thickness and add to the butter
5. Peel the cloves of garlic and finely chop or crush in a garlic press. Add to the saucepan.
6. Gentle cook the leeks and garlic in the butter for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper into the deep saucepan and stir in quickly. Simmer for 1 minute.
8. Add the langoustines or prawns to the deep saucepan and cook adding a little olive oil.
9. Mix all the ingredients together and season further with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
10. Once cooked, drain the penne pasta and add to the deep saucepand ensure that the cooking liquid, leeks, Scottish langoustines and garlic (if used) evenly coats the pasta.
11. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes and serve on warm plates.

About the Ingredients Prawns and Leeks

Fisheries and Oceans Canada write in the online book Fish Stocks of the Pacific Coast about prawns, Pandalus platyceros, as “the largest of the seven commercial species of shrimp in Canada’s west coast waters…the short seasons of the past few years are generally unsuitable for live and fresh markets”. While selected fishmongers will sell fresh prawns, tailed or whole, during the short fresh season, most cooks will prepare food using F-A-S or frozen-at-sea prawns.

In Canada, varieties of leeks are grouped into the four seasonal categories of summer leeks, autumn leeks, autumn and winter leeks and winter leeks. The British leek season runs from November to April. This recipe uses mid-season leeks grown in Scotland. Fresh raw Musselburgh leeks will ooze when cutting up ready to cook. Musselburgh is a place in Scotland that gives its name to the Musselburgh variety of leeks. Musselburgh leeks are a very hardy variety to grow in a vegetable garden.

The copyright of the article Musselburgh Leeks with Langoustines Penne in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Susan Morris. Permission to republish Musselburgh Leeks with Langoustines Penne in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Musselburgh Leeks With Langoustines Penne

Leeks and Prawns Penne Served with Soured Cream

Leeks and Prawns Penne Served with Soured Cream