Do you love leeks? I sure do. Grocery stores sometimes even sell leeks with those dark green tops already sliced off for you, as they seem to have been deemed quite inconvenient to have in your kitchen. Well, my apartment-sized freezer space is limited, so freezing them and other vegetable scraps for when I make soup or stock is not very practical.
One day, I just got tired of discarding those tops! Think about so many of those greens we love in one form or another: escarole, chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, beet tops.
They all start out pretty tough and yet end up nice and tender when cooked in a nice blend of fat, liquid and seasonings. In other words, they are braised. And let me tell you, these turned out so tender and creamy that I will never throw away those dark green tops again! What follows is more of a guideline than an actual recipe.
Feel free to create your own variations, and add your own seasonings. In addition to the leeks, I use olive oil, butter, garlic, chicken stock preferably unsalted or low-salt , kosher salt, dried chili flakes, ground black pepper, and lemon juice.
If you want to make a vegan-friendly version, go ahead and replace the butter with more olive oil, and substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock. While you slice the leek tops, start heating your pan over medium heat. I like to leave the leek whole and just start slicing from the dark green end. Put all your dark green slices into a colander and give them a good rinse leeks can get rather sandy.
Melt equal parts butter and olive oil together in your warm pan. With six medium-sized leeks, I ended up with just under 1. I used about 3 Tablespoons of butter and about 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Depending on how many leeks you use, you may vary these quantities a bit. I like just a hint of garlic flavor, so crushing them ever-so-slightly works for me. Leeks are often filled with dirt and sand, so cleaning them is an important part of the cutting process.
Rinse them under cool running water, tossing them to remove any dirt or debris. When the chopped leeks are clean, use a paper towel or kitchen towel to blot them dry before you start to cook. Now you know how to cut leeks, but what about how to cook them?
They add delectable flavor to homemade vegetable stock. Need some ideas? Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:. Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. Thank-you this was super helpful and easy instructions on cooking leeks! Thanks val. Very helpful article. They are viewed as a normal vegetable here. My favourite way of preparing leeks is to cook them with cream in a pan, served with rice and salmon… Simply delicious!
Do you saute them in butter or something and then add cream, or do you start them cold in cream and just bring it all to a simmer? Other ways to use up the odds and ends of a leek include: wrap a bouquet garni in the tough outer skin, for flavouring soups and stews; dehydrate pieces of the leaves into crisps; toast the cleaned roots and any other trimmings, and sprinkle over all kinds of dishes; or freeze them for stock. Many recipes for leek soup call for just the white part of the leek, probably to keep the soup a paler colour, but the greens have just as much, if not more, flavour, and colour the soup a brilliant light green.
The fried green leek tops make a delicious topping, not just for this soup, but on salads, rice dishes and stews, too, adding a rich, umami seasoning. Finely chop about four tablespoons of thin green strips from the very top of the leek and set aside to dry.
Roughly chop the rest of the leek and put it in a medium saucepan with the onion, potato and stock, season and bring to a boil.
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