start with a bowl

Leeks

For the love of leeks

leeksA few weeks ago I bought some beautiful small leeks at the Thunder Bay Country Market
 They sat in my fridge for two weeks. Now, I love leeks.  That soft, delicate, creamy onion-y flavour makes me terribly happy. Fact is though, I am often at a loss as to how to use them, and they sit around going soft and looking sad.  Yes, I make leek and potato soup, and love to sauté them in a pan with butter before I sear a rack of lamb.  But these methods can involve a lot of work.  I want something quick and easy, for a weeknight dinner.  Once, for a dinner party,  I braised them.  They were good, but the chicken stock overpowered the delicate flavour of the leeks.  I love leeks so much I want them to be the star.  I couldn’t look at those leeks in the fridge any longer. I was determined to use them.

My plan for dinner was to frying ocean perch with a bit of lemon.  Simple, fresh, and easy.  Looking down at the fish in the pan, I realized my problem with leeks.  I was overthinking them. 

I was overthinking leeks!

Oven roasted leeksSuddenly, I turned on the oven to 400°and put a pot of salted water on to boil.  I trimmed and cleaned my leeks.  When the water reached its boiling point I blanched the leeks.  Then I put them in a metal baking dish (metal helps to caramelize), seasoned them with salt and pepper, drizzled on some olive oil and white wine vinegar, and threw in a smashed up garlic clove and some thyme leaves. Ten minutes later I had roasted leeks that were absolutely gorgeous!  They were soft and buttery and caramelized.  The little bit of vinegar was the perfect counterpoint to add just a tiny bit of zing. 

Oven roasted leeks

With each bite, I became inspired.  And that gave me a mission for the week.  Leek week!  My goal: to make easy, quick, and delicious dishes with leeks.  

Well, it’s Friday and I have 4 new leek recipes ( in addition to the oven roasted leeks described above).  I might come up with more this weekend (the week isn’t over yet!) but I ran out of leeks!

Here is the list of delicious leek recipes I am adding to the website as we speak!

Savoury Leek Tart

Savoury Leek Tart

Leek and Potato Bake

Leek and Potato Bake

 

Leek and Celery Root Soup ( a fresh and light twist on leek and potato soup)

Leek and Celery Root Soup

Caramelized leek, onion, and shallot soup (a decidedly rich and creamy soup)

Caramelized Leek, Onion, and Shallot Soup

If you have great leek recipes, I’d love to hear them.  In the meantime, long live Leek Week!

 

 

leek weekleeks

Amy • November 11, 2016


Previous Post

Facebook
PINTEREST
INSTAGRAM