I’m always in search of fresh, handmade pappardelle, so when I found it at Bi-Rite Market, I was excited to get to work on a new recipe. With leeks on hand, I searched around and found this recipe.

I enjoyed the process of cleaning and prepping the leeks – they’re such a gorgeous color. And the rosemary smelled delightful.

But things took a turn for the worse when I (ignored the recipe) and dumped the entire breadcrumb mixture into the finished pasta. Those thick, buttery ribbons got lost in the sandy coating.

Lesson learned: treat breadcrumbs like salt, unless you’re making Mac & cheese or gratin.