Smoked Blueberry and Leek Pasta

Smoked Blueberry and Leek Pasta

I ate a version of this at Alma Bea in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a couple of years ago, and I still think about it.

Alma Bea is an Appalachian restaurant whose menu changes constantly, and smoke runs through everything they do. Blueberries included. That was the part I could not identify while I was eating it. The blueberries in a savory dish were not raw fruit. They had been smoked, and the smoke is what keeps a plate like this from tasting like a dessert that took a wrong turn.

This is not their recipe, and it is not on their menu now. The dish I ate is a couple of seasons gone, their kitchen has moved on, and I have no idea what was actually in the pan. What follows is my reconstruction of the idea, built from what I remember tasting and what I could learn about how savory blueberry cooking works. If you are anywhere near Shepherdstown, go eat whatever they are making this week instead.

One honest note. Fruit in a savory sauce is a matter of calibration more than technique. How sweet your blueberries are, how much vinegar you like, how far you take the smoke, all of it moves the balance. Expect to adjust the second time you make it. My take leans savory and sharp on purpose, and there is a section below on shifting it either direction.

What you need

Serves 4.

For the smoked blueberries:

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries, firm and ripe

  • A handful of wood chips, apple, cherry, or hickory

For the pasta:

  • 12 ounces wide pasta, pappardelle or wide egg noodles

  • 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, about 4 cups sliced

  • 4 tablespoons butter, plus 1 more to finish

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons honey

  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

  • Zest of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice

  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

  • 2 ounces grated pecorino, or smoked cheddar

  • Salt and plenty of black pepper

Use firm, ripe berries for smoking and pass over anything soft, since overripe berries collapse under heat and smoke. Keep half the berries fresh and unsmoked for the end.

How to smoke blueberries at home

Soak the wood chips in water about 30 minutes first, so they smolder rather than flare.

On a grill, set up two zones with the coals or burners on one side only and the heat low. Put the berries in a single layer in a metal pan or foil tray on the cool side, close the lid, and smoke 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and they smell like a campfire but still hold their shape.

Two notes. Most fruit smoking guidance calls for two to four hours, but that is written for apples, peaches and other dense fruit. Berries take smoke fast and turn to jam if you push them, so check at 10 minutes.

A stovetop smoker works. So does a heavy pot with a rack, a foil packet of soaked chips underneath, and a tight lid over low heat, with the vent hood running.

No smoker or grill? Skip the smoking and add 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika with the garlic plus a pinch of smoked salt at the end. Not the same thing, but it points the right direction. Two or three drops of liquid smoke also work and are very easy to overdo.

Method

Clean the leeks properly. Trim the roots and dark green tops, keeping white and pale green. Slice into half moons, drop them into a bowl of cold water, and swish. Lift them out with your hands or a spider rather than pouring the bowl into a colander, because draining sends the settled grit right back over the leeks. Repeat until the water runs clean, then dry them.

Sweat the leeks slowly. Melt 4 tablespoons butter with the olive oil in a wide skillet over low heat. Add the leeks and a good pinch of salt and cook gently, stirring often, until completely soft, sweet, and starting to look jammy. Common guidance says 5 to 10 minutes for tender leeks, and that is the floor. I go 15 to 20. Do not brown them and do not rush, because underdone leeks taste grassy and will flatten the dish.

Build the sauce. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the vinegar and honey and let it bubble 30 seconds. Add the thyme and the smoked blueberries and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring gently, until the berries release their juice and some burst while others hold.

Boil the pasta in well salted water while the leeks cook, and reserve half a cup of water before draining.

Bring it together. Add the pasta to the skillet with a splash of pasta water and the last tablespoon of butter, tossing until the sauce clings and glosses. Add the reserved fresh blueberries in the last 30 seconds so they warm through and stay whole.

Finish. Off the heat, add lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, the cheese, plenty of black pepper, and taste for salt.

My take, and how to move it toward yours

Mine is savory, sharp and smoky, with the blueberries reading as an ingredient rather than as fruit. Here is the map.

  • Too sweet: more vinegar, a quarter teaspoon at a time, and more black pepper. Cut the honey next batch.

  • Too sharp: raise the honey to a full tablespoon and add a little more butter at the end.

  • Tastes like dessert: the berries were not smoked long enough, or the leeks were underdone. Both problems taste identical on the plate.

  • Muddy and purple throughout: the berries broke down too far. Add them later and keep half fresh.

  • Flat: salt first, then lemon zest, then more cheese. Not more honey.

  • Want it richer: two tablespoons of heavy cream at the end makes a different and very good dish.

Notes and variations

Cheese matters more than it seems like it should. Pecorino brings salt and cuts the fruit. Smoked cheddar doubles the smoke. Fresh goat cheese makes it tangy and creamy and pushes the dish toward summer.

For a bigger plate, add crisped country ham or bacon, which reinforces the smoke, or wilt in a handful of arugula at the very end for bitterness.

If you want crunch, toasted walnuts or hazelnuts on top work, though the dish does not need them.

Frozen blueberries are fine for the fresh half but do not smoke well, since they carry too much water. Smoke extra while you have the fire going, because they keep several days refrigerated and are excellent on a cheese board.

Frequently asked questions

Does this taste sweet?
It should not. It reads savory, smoky and a little tart, closer to a sauce for pork than to a dessert.

Can I use frozen or dried blueberries?
Frozen work for the fresh half. They do not smoke well because of their water content, and dried berries are far too sweet here.

Do I need a smoker?
No. A covered grill, a stovetop smoker, or a pot with a rack and a foil packet of chips all work, and there is a smoked paprika workaround above.

What pasta shape is best?
Something wide and flat, so the leeks and berries have something to cling to.

Why leeks instead of onions?
Leeks turn sweet and silky rather than sharp, which is what makes the fruit work. Onions would fight the blueberries.

Is this Alma Bea's recipe?
No. It is my reconstruction of a dish I ate there a couple of years ago, and their menu has changed many times since.

Sources

Sources

Inspiration and credit

Technique

Savory blueberry precedent

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