Creamy spaghetti with herb cheese and smoked salmon

This recipe is intended for 4 persons.

leeks
Cut the darkest foliage and root piece from the stems of leeks. Cut them lengthwise in half and rinse the vegetables under running water. Be sure to remove any leftover sand or soil from between the compact leaves.

Onions
Peel the onions, first cut them lengthwise in half and then into fine half rings.

clove of garlic
Peel the garlic and crush the flesh to a pulp.

knob of butter
Put a large stewpot over medium heat and melt a knob of butter in it.

In it, stew the half onion rings and the garlic pulp but do not add the garlic until just before the onion is done so it does not burn.

Cut each stem of leeks first lengthwise into quarters and then into pieces about an inch wide. Add the leek pieces to the pot, stir and turn up the heat. Stew the leeks for five minutes.
If you are using frozen leeks, the five minutes will start only after the water from thawing has evaporated.

Fill a large pot with water and bring the water to a boil. Add a good splash of olive oil, this way the spaghetti will stick less. Use plenty of water, because pasta wants to swim.

thyme and bay leaf
Cut the sprigs of thyme. Unzip the leaves from the thyme and, using a sharp knife, shred them into as small pieces as possible. Add the shredded thyme along with the bay leaves to the pot of leeks.
If you don't want to cut the thyme, you can tie them together with the bay leaves with a kitchen twine. don't forget to take them out  before serving

Hildegardis mead
Add the mead. Stir and let the alcohol boil away.

Cream and herb cheese
Pour the cream with the stewed leeks and also add the fresh herb cheese to the pot. Stir and let the cream cheese melt away.  Turn down the heat and let the leeks in cream sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

spaghetti
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti al dente in the bubbling water. I calculate a cooking time 1 minute shorter than what the manufacturer recommends. The spaghetti will cook a little further in the cream sauce.

chives
Chop the sprigs of chives into very fine pieces. Don't be too sparing with the garden herb.

smoked salmon
Cut the slices of smoked salmon into strips about an inch wide.

Set aside a cup of pasta cooking liquid. Drain the spaghetti and dump the strands into the pot of leeks in cream sauce.

Add a splash of the pasta's cooking liquid and stir. The starchy water will add extra binding and shine.

pepper
Taste and season the dish with pepper from the mill. Add additional salt only if the smoked salmon does not taste too salty.

Stir the shredded chives and strips of smoked salmon into the pasta.

Serve the spaghetti on a plate and garnish with additional chives or flat parsley, if desired.

The Hildegardis mead you used in the dish is perfect to drink with it. That way the flavors complement each other