I like leeks. I make an omelet with leeks, mushrooms, bacon (plus knoblauch and cayenne pepper) topped with sliced tomatoes and raclette for breakfast. And I put leeks in a stir fry.
Both of the above are fast prepared dishes which relates to my question - what use is the tough dark green stalky end of the leek? Normally I chop from the edible end and move up the stem until I start to reach the tougher green stuff and I throw that away. But I have a feeling that Swiss leeks have got more of the tough green stuff than elsewhere (not complaining, just saying) and I'm wondering if the stalky dark green end of the leek is good for some recipes?
p.s. Leeks rule, how come you never see them in a restaurant meal.
Love leeks too- I use the darker parts for leek and potatoe soup. Must say they are often served in restaurants around here, when in season. And in Vaud, there is a very special local dish called 'papet Vaudois' which is local sausage, potatoe and leek dish.
Yep, leeks are great and you can eat them all the way up - you just need to cooker the tougher parts for a little longer to soften them up. They're delicious steamed and tossed in garlic butter too, by the way.
This is one of OHs favourites, and nice break from raclette in the winter, when after a day outside one wants something easy but filling. I am not sure of an authentic recipe - I am a cookbook reader but total improvisor once in the kitchen - but I add white wine and cream to the dish to make a nice sauce by the time it comes out of the oven.
I use the whole leek, except for maybe 1cm at top edge. It is key to get rid of the sandy grit, even more so if you have expensive dental work You can also make a dish of leeks gratineĢ, parboiling them speeds up the cooking time, but otherwise just lay them flat in an ovenproof dish and once they are tender top with some grated gruyere or other aged cheese. Yum
O/H`s mother grows them, then stores them for winter in an "earth tunnel" in garden, uncovering and using whenever.
I use all the parts, the dark green just gets sliced finer.
Enjoyed reading what you all do with them - all the various sauces, good tips for me. I`m inclined to use them just to bulk out whatever I`m cooking - for their nutrition value. (My old mother used to wax lyrical about Leeks being worth their weight in gold, and it stuck in my brain).
I love this dish, clean leeks cut into 3 or 4 peices depending on size. I use the green for as long as it stays in a roll. (use the dark outer leaves for soup)
Wrap each piece with a slice of ham and lay in a dish. Pour over some white wine and chicken stock then add butter flocks. Salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried (bohnenkraut) Summer savory. Add lid and cook in oven on 170-180 for an hour, 20 mins before serving, add cherry or date tomatoes to the dish. Serve over cheddar mashed potatoes.
I use both the white and the green when I make creamed leeks because they "sweat" for such a long time over a low heat that the green parts become tender.
Add sliced leeks, salt and pepper to a saute pan with a generous amount of olive oil and saute over low heat for about 45 minutes until the leeks are almost "melted". Turn up the heat to medium, add a knob of butter and a soup spoon of flour and stir for about 3 minutes to cook the flour and make a roux. Add heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg and simmer until you've reduced it to the consistency that your family prefers. Delicious with steak.
This comes from reading about saving tips from people on the breadline or just very frugal. Some people have a container in the freezer where they save all their vegetable scraps, really everything, the hard bits of cauliflower, cabbage, even onion skins, carrot tops, peelings ... the stuff that you might normally put in the compost bin...
Add it in when you make chicken stock, or when it gets big enough just make vegetable stock.
i dont do it myself. i keep the mainly the meats that have been on special in the freezer. I might consider it especially the cost of organic vegetables. 2 leeks 4chf!!!
ps last week at aldi i saw 2 leeks for 3chf and thought whoa i have never in my life seen two such expensive leeks, yesterday 2 for 4chf in migros... i wish id bought the aldi ones now!
Basic oven dish. bottom layer potato slices, then leek a sprinkle of bacon, then another layer of potato, garlic, onion, layer of leek, layer of potato then, wisk egg, milk, herby, salty, peppery spices and fill the dish just enough to go all over, add a layer of tomatos then cover the lot in parmesan and or other cheeses (I like a permesan/blue cheese/brie mix) pop in the oven untill the neighbors complain about the deliciousness coming from your digs.
I use the white parts for more delicate dishes, or just brown them in a pan with some butter.
The dark green parts I freeze for when I'm ready to make a more hearty winter soup with potatoes, etc. They just need to be cooked a while to soften up.