Employee Recipe Share - Caron's Leek & Lemon Linguine

Ingredients 

• 8 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti
• 2 large lemons, plus lemon wedges for garnish
• 1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced and rinsed well
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼ cup snipped fresh chives, divided

Preparation

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until just tender or according to package directions. Reserve 1½ cups of the cooking liquid and drain the pasta in a colander.
2. Meanwhile, finely grate 1 tablespoon zest (see Tip) and squeeze ¼ cup juice from the 2 lemons; set the juice aside. Pat leek slices dry. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leek, the lemon zest, ¼ cup parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leek is lightly browned and softened, about 6 minutes.
3. Add the pasta, 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, the reserved lemon juice and the remaining ¼ cup parsley to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly until the liquid is mostly absorbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the remaining ½ cup liquid, if desired. Remove from the heat. Discard the garlic. Toss the pasta with ½ cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons chives. Transfer to a serving bowl or bowls; sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons chives and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.