Pasta with leek, pancetta, and cashew cream

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

This is one of the easiest things I make- easily done in 20 minutes, start to finish. It’s pretty, too. Instead of dairy cream I make a quick cashew cream. The cashews can be soaked in cool water during the hours while at work, ready to go by dinnertime. Otherwise, soak them for for 20-30 minutes in very hot water for times when planning ahead doesn’t work out. Unlike almond milk/cream, cashew cream does not need to be strained, so it’s really just a matter of throwing soaked cashews in a blender with a bit of water and running it on high. Try to find the thinly sliced big rounds of pancetta, otherwise just use prosciutto. You really want those satisfying bites of umami scattered in your bowl, not the minced up pancetta that’ll just blend in with everything else. As with any nut based sauce, cashew cream thickens with time, so if you’re making this knowing it’s going to sit for a bit before being enjoyed, add a little more of the broth at the end than is called for, up to 1/2 a cup. https://thecleangourmet.com/2016/07/28/pasta-with-leek-pancetta-and-cashew-cream-dairy-free/