As a member of the allium household (together with garlic, chives, scallions, shallots and onions), leeks are a particularly versatile vegetable that may add sweetness and delicate onion taste to any recipe – whether or not it is soup , stews, casseroles, pasta, or as a grill aspect dish. No matter your choice, there’s sure to be a recipe that makes use of this versatile vegetable.
Put together leeks
Relying on the way you prepare dinner leeks, their preparation will fluctuate. Cooking leeks gently and slowly will extract the sweetness and tenderize them. One factor to notice is that they’re usually fairly soiled on the within – regardless of the way you put together them, be sure to clear them completely earlier than utilizing them!
It relies on your ingenuity, each a part of the leek may be eaten. If you do not have time to organize and use the leaves and roots straight away, save them in a container within the fridge to make use of later.
Now that you already know the fundamentals of getting ready leeks, let’s get to the enjoyable half – utilizing them in recipes!
recipe
Creamy Chive Garnish
Leeks are scrumptious as half of a bigger recipe, however additionally they make an excellent aspect dish. Relying in your style choice, you possibly can add quite a lot of spices and herbs, however listed below are some customary recipes you possibly can strive:
uncooked materials
- 2 giant leeks – reduce in half lengthwise and cubed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
instruct
- Wash the leeks and reduce them in half lengthwise, eradicating the roots and any brown bits – the roots can be utilized for noodles if desired, or peeled and added to salads.Lower every half into bite-sized items
- Place leeks in a big bowl and add chilly water. Spin the bowl to take away any remaining grime and grit. Let the leeks sit for a couple of minutes, then take away them from the water and let the surplus drip off.
- In a big skillet or skillet, soften 1 tablespoon cream over medium-high warmth.Add the leeks to the pot, sprinkle with salt and stir evenly
- Cowl the pot, scale back warmth to medium-low and prepare dinner for 30-40 minutes.Stir each 5 minutes or till leeks are tender
- Take away the pan from the warmth and add the remaining tablespoon of cream. Stir in leeks till cream melts.
- Serve scorching or chilly, or freeze till later use.
Cauliflower and Leek Soup
Soup is the last word chilly climate consolation meals, and this soup is so satisfying. It’s additionally very versatile – play with it!
uncooked materials
- 3 tablespoons additional virgin olive oil
- 2 leeks – cleaned and sliced thinly
- 5 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 russet potato – peeled and chopped
- 1 giant head of cauliflower – reduce into florets
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 4-6 cups rooster or vegetable broth
- Chopped leeks (elective)
- crumbled bacon (elective)
instruct
- Warmth olive oil in a big pot over medium warmth. Add the leeks and prepare dinner till golden brown, often 4-6 minutes.Add the garlic to the pot and prepare dinner till aromatic
- Add potatoes and cauliflower to pan and season with salt and pepper. Add broth and produce pot to boil. As soon as boiling, scale back warmth to low, cowl, and simmer till potatoes and cauliflower are tender, often 20 minutes.
- Take away the pot from the warmth. Utilizing an immersion blender, mix the combination till clean. Alternatively, wait till the soup has cooled barely and pour it right into a blender. If utilizing the latter methodology, add the combination to the blender steadily to keep away from flooding the blender with all the pot without delay.
- Season soup with salt and pepper. Add chives and bacon if desired.
Leek Thyme Scalloped Potatoes
Isn’t the mixture of leeks and potatoes attention-grabbing? Soup is not the one possibility (though it is a good one). These Scalloped Potatoes with Chives might turn into an everyday in your rotation.
uncooked materials
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1 cup leeks—chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup entire milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 2 1/2 lb. yellow or golden potatoes—peeled and thinly sliced
instruct
- Preheat oven to 350°F.Grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter to stop potatoes from sticking to the pan
- Warmth a medium saucepan over medium-high warmth. Add the cream to the pan and as soon as the cream has melted add the leeks. Stir the pot for two minutes. After 2 minutes, add garlic and thyme and proceed stirring for 30 seconds
- Add milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Carry the pot to a boil and as soon as boiling, scale back the warmth to a simmer. Stir pan often till combination thickens, often after 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes to the pan in order that they’re coated within the combination. As soon as coated, switch potatoes to an 8×8 pan and unfold evenly.
- Prepare dinner the potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or till evenly browned and bubbly. Cool earlier than serving.
Potato and Scallion Soup
We couldn’t have a weblog publish about leeks with out together with this traditional!
uncooked materials
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 giant leeks, white and light-weight inexperienced elements solely (no leaves), roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 kilos Yukon Gold (or comparable) potatoes—peeled and reduce into 1/2-inch chunks
- 7 cups rooster or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs contemporary thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Chives (elective) – chopped
instruct
- Soften cream in giant stockpot over medium warmth. Add leeks and garlic.Stir repeatedly till the leeks are tender and the garlic is aromatic, adjusting the warmth as wanted to make sure they do not brown
- Add the potatoes, inventory, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot and produce to a boil.As soon as boiling, cowl and simmer for quarter-hour or till potatoes are tender.
- Take away the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and puree the soup with an immersion blender or customary blender.If utilizing a normal blender, mix in small batches in order to not overwhelm the machine, and depart holes within the prime to permit steam to flee
- As soon as mixed, switch the soup to a clear pot. Add heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to style. If the soup is simply too skinny, simmer till thickened; if too thick, add water or broth.
- Made an excessive amount of and might’t end it multi function sitting? Don’t be concerned – the soup may be frozen (with out cream) for as much as 3 months. To reheat, merely defrost within the fridge for 12 hours, then reheat on the stovetop over medium warmth, including the cream when scorching.
Stir-fried leek root
To be trustworthy, I haven’t given a lot thought to utilizing chive root in recipes. Out of curiosity, I googled for recipes that would make the most of the roots, and utilizing them as a noodle substitute appealed to me. To check this tempting scallion recipe, I recruited a co-worker to stir-fry the roots.
uncooked materials:
- 4-5 chive roots
- 2 carrots – reduce into matchsticks
- 2 cabbage outer leaves – thinly sliced
- 1 giant broccoli – reduce into florets
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 contemporary chili
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 purple or orange bell pepper – diced
- 2 tablespoons additional virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger (elective) – grated
- pinch of salt
instruct
- Lower off the bottom of the leek base. Place them in a bowl and add chilly water. Shake them round in a bowl and wash them completely to take away extra grime and grit.
- Place the olive oil, chopped chilli, sugar, grated ginger, soy sauce and chive root in a wok or frying pan over low warmth, stirring repeatedly. Add the carrots and broccoli and prepare dinner for a couple of minutes, then add the cabbage and prepare dinner for an extra 2 minutes.
- Cut back warmth and stir repeatedly. If desired, you possibly can add a protein supply (rooster, tofu, beef, and so forth.) or simply serve it as a vegetable aspect dish. Add any spices or sauces you want in the previous couple of minutes of cooking (i.e., I am a fan of teriyaki). When performed, serve it over rice or noodles, or serve it as a vegetable aspect dish.
Recipe sources
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a21960741/cauliflower-leek-soup/
https://www.thespruceeats.com/buttered-leeks-recipe-spring-leeks-4126572
https://shewearsmanyhats.com/wp-json/mv-create/v1/creations/12/print