Pasta with oysters, pancetta and leeks

A recipe from the Pacific Heights Bar and Grill, a now defunct restaurant in San Francisco. We made this on the perfect frozen oysters which were delivered to our door by the Fish Society. You can of course use fresh oysters, but personally I would consider it a wate eating the any other way than raw. Readers in the US c an consider using fresh ready-shucked oysters, as available in some West- and East coast supermarkets.

I also head some seaweed tagliatelle (see picture), which went very nice with the sea-breezy taste of the sauce.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g pancetta, diced
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 12 - 18 oysters (liquor reserved)
  
• 200 ml thick cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped parsley
• 250 g pasta (fettucine, tagliattelle, etc.)

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Sauté the pancetta until slightly crisp, add the leeks and sauté for a couple more minutes, until slightly wilted. Add garlic, lemon juice and zest, thyme and white wine and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated. Add oyster liquor and cream and reduce further until nice and saucy. MEANWHILE BOIL THE PASTA IN PLENTY WATER! Add the oysters to the sauce and let them slowly cook for some minutes (not boil!). Season to taste and decorate with chopped parsley.

Serve the oysters sauce over the pasta on heated plates.

Meanwhile, if there are no oysters in the house, cheer up with the Perry Bible Fellowship.