Feasts and Festivals: St. David's Day

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. A sixth century Welsh bishop, David founded monasteries and churches in Wales, Southwest England and Brittany. David is believed to have lived 100 years, dying on March 1, 589. David's miracle was spontaneously creating a hill. No, not with buckets of dirt; the earth supposedly rose up under him.¹ There is also a legend that David warns the people of Wales when there will be a death in the community through corpse candles (will-o'-the-wisps).²

St. David's Cathedral photo from Wikipedia

While not a traditional recipe, this pasta has the required St. David's Day ingredient: leeks. The leek is St. David's personal symbol and has come to represent the country of Wales, as well.

"Ay, leeks is good..."

-Shakespeare's Henry V (V:1)

Leek and Bacon Rigatoni

1/2 lb rigatoni (or other tube-y pasta or whichever shape is in the pantry)
4 rashers bacon, cut into lardons
1 large leek, white and light green parts, finely sliced
1/4 cup garlic and herb soft cheese (like Boursin or Alouette)

Boil pasta according to package directions. Be sure to reserve a cup of the pasta water before it's drained.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is nice and hot, add the bacon and fry until it's crisp and has rendered its fat. Sauté the leek until very soft, turning down heat if necessary to keep leek from burning.

Turn off heat under skilled and stir in drained pasta and cheese. Add a bit of pasta water if the cheese/leek/bacon mixture is too stiff to coat pasta. I found that the bacon and cheese made the dish salty enough, but you may need salt to taste.

Serves 2

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Print

"If you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek."

-Henry V (ibid.)

Notes

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_David

2. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=220

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