What's a leek?

[RebeccaT]

I am so mortified. I cannot believe I am even owning up to this... but I have never once had a leek in my mouth. I didn't think I was really missing out, but lately I've just seen SOOO many recipes with leeks where I like all the other ingredients, but have no idea what to expect. Please educate me!

What does it taste like? Like great big green onions? How do you prepare them? How would I complete this sentence: "If you like____, you'll love leeks!"

I would love to have a new vegetable in my repitoire... do leeks count as veggies?

I can't go through life like this! Please help!

:o :o :o :o :o

[tanastaplo]

My husband had a Japanese co-worker once who described leeks as "like an onion, but more serene."
I love that! (I also love leeks.)
Teddy

[dulcecoeur]

Ahh Leeks, they are the national flower of Wales, which is where my family comes from. They are very good, but do have a more subtle flavour then onions. I love cream of leek soup!

[dulcecoeur]

Oops, I forgot to answer the questions! I would just go out and try them, I am sure you will not dislike them, and of course they would count as veggies! I am sure they have all sorts of "good stuff" in them.

[tanastaplo]

I didn't answer your questions either -- sorry! But I'd just second what dulcecoeur says. They are really mild, so if you have recipes that you want to try and leeks are the only unknown, I think they shouldn't deter you. The only thing to pass along about leeks is that you have to wash them thoroughly, but most recipes will tell you that. (Slice them vertically, and rinse them in running water, separating the layers of leek with your fingers -- the objective is to make sure that you're getting out any sand/dirt that might be trapped between the layers.)

I hope you like them!
Teddy

[LaraW]

A good recipe to try out would be the Leek, Ricotta and Walnut pizza that was published a while ago. If you'd like the recipe, I'd be happy to post it for you.

Lara

[Jan Belle]

Rebecca, I'm with you! I've only glanced at leeks in the produce section and wondered what can I do with this vegetable!

Lara, it would be great if you could post the leek, ricotta, and walnut pizza. I'm ready to be adventurous.

I also have to admit that I've never cooked with fennel nor do I recall eating any dishes that have fennel. Do you eat the seed? bulb? I'm clueless!!

[Gail]

Ah, leeks... I am into them lately.

As a matter of fact, I'll bet if you run a search on the topic (scan topic names) you'll find some recipes, because we were discussing them not long ago. You can have them in soup, sauté them with veggies such as peas or mushrooms, or make a lovely little not-at-all-light pie (recipe courtesy of Shirley Ekstein) which I have made and enjoyed. Highly recommended.

I went shopping today at Whole Foods (for leeks, no less) and saw the biggest suckas I have ever seen in my life! Darn things were actually about 4" in diameter! Since I didn't have my truck, I opted for something a little smaller.

Jan Belle,

Just made last month's Mushroom Stew which happens to utilize both leeks and fennel bulb. Both were sliced thin. If you run a search, I know I've posted a recipe for an osso buco which utilizes fennel as one of the ingredients.

Or, run a search on CL's recipe finder on the other part of the web site for lighter options.

[JackieO]

I stumbled across a leek-and-potato casserole dish about <eek> 20 years ago:( that got me hooked on leeks. I like the "like an onion but serene" definition....you will not be unpleasantly surprised biting into a leek in a dish as you would, say, a bit of yellow, white or red onion. The pork loin/leek recipe in the March 2002 CL would be a great way to introduce yourself to leeks.

It may just be a quirk, but there are two large grocery chains within a mile of my house. One sells leeks by the bunch (usually three medium-sized leeks) for either $2.38 or $2.58, depending on availability. The other store, which just converted to a warehouse concept from a full-service store, sells them for $0.98 a pound. It is ALWAYS cheaper to buy them there by the pound.

When you prepare leeks, don't include too much of the green top -- I think it gets more bitter as you move into the green, not to mention tougher and sandier. And as for that fennel question, I just recently started experimenting with it and had the same questions about what to use. Even after "asking around," I'm still in the experimental stage....I don't seem to get the yield (as measured in cups) by the weight of the bulbs suggested in recipes. I think as you get more familiar with using the bulbs, though, you can tell how much you need. I love the sharp, tangy taste of fresh fennel in salads.

Sorry for the longwinded post. Here are two of my favorite leek recipes, including the casserole I mentioned above. ENJOY!

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

This soup is related to brotchán foltchep, a classic leek and oatmeal soup (also known as brotchán roy) that combines leeks, oatmeal and milk. This version is thickened with potatoes instead of oatmeal and flavored with chicken stock instead of milk. Serve it with savory whole wheat scones or slices of brown soda bread.

3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise,
thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 large russet potatoes (about 18 ounces total), peeled, diced
4 1/2 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat,cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in processor until smooth. Return to saucepan. Thin with additional stock if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and serve.

Serves 4.

From: epicurious.com


Swiss Leek Dish

Serves 4
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 large potatoes, thinly sliced
4 fat leeks, trimmed and sliced
2Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 C. chicken broth
1 C. half and half
½ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. chervil or marjoram
1 C. grated Gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Arrange alternating layers of potatoes and leeks in casserole, making sure top layer is potatoes.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and add the chicken broth, stirring with a wire whisk to form a smooth, thick sauce. Add all the remaining ingredients except parsley and pour over potatoes. Cover and cook for 1 hour.


Good with roast chicken.

From: Vegetable Cookery by Irena Chalmers

[RebeccaT]

Originally posted by Gail

As a matter of fact, I'll bet if you run a search on the topic (scan topic names) you'll find some recipes, because we were discussing them not long ago. You can have them in soup, sauté them with veggies such as peas or mushrooms, or make a lovely little not-at-all-light pie (recipe courtesy of Shirley Ekstein) which I have made and enjoyed. Highly recommended.



I saw that thread in my search for understanding, but I still didn't quite get what they were supposed to taste like! A serene onion, eh? That sounds pleasant. Now, don't they have a bulb? Do I eat that too, or just the green part? Or the bulb only, and toss the green part?

LaraW, that pizza sounds good (I think... I certainly like ricotta and walnuts) so I look forward to your post!

Thanks all, and keep that information coming! :D

[JackieO]

Rebecca, once you get a leek home and start dissecting it, it will become very apparent that you don't want much of the green top. The green part is very tough, and sometimes the pale green part that makes the transition between the white "bulb" (actually, that's probably the root, maybe some gardener out there can enlighten us) to the green "leaves" is still mild, but when you're first experimenting, stick with just the white part of the leek until you know you like the taste. But trust me, leeks are wonderful! I love the flavor of COOKED onions in a dish, but HATE running into a bite of raw onion in ANYTHING. Raw leek slices in a salad might be the only exception because they are so mild.

[Holly in KC]

Rebecca -

You can eat the white and pale green parts of a leek - the tops are too tough to eat. Here's a great cleaning tip: leeks can be very, very sandy/dirty - even inside the onion "layers". As leeks grow, the growers usually mound up dirt around them.. this makes "more" of the white/pale green parts... it also tends to get dirt between the layers.

To clean: slide off the root and dark green parts. Then slice the leek in half vertically. Now, run the leek under cold running water - you should be able to open up the layers to get the leek clean.

[Jan Belle]

Thanks everyone for the information on selecting and preparing leeks. My confidence level is growing!! Gail and Rebecca, thanks for the recipes! I'll try to make them over the weekend and get back to you on the results. I'll most likely have more questions. Oops! The Masters is on this weekend--I might need to push this back until the beginning of next week. Thanks, again

[LaraW]

Yikes! I am glad I came back here because I had forgotten about saying I would post it. :rolleyes:

Here you are:

Leek, Ricotta and Walnut Pizza
CL August 2001, page 150


Pizza Dough (your favorite recipe, or let me know and I will post that recipe! :) )

1 tsp olive oil
4 C thinly sliced leeks (about 3 large)
1/2 C part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 C grated fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and saute 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Combine cheeses, garlic, salt, pepper in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture over the pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with the leek mixture, and sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Slice into 8 wedges.

4 servings.


Lara's notes: I use my own recipe for the pizza crust. I would be happy to post here if anyone would like it. Also, I didn't think that 2 tbsp of walnuts was enough. I increased it to probably about 4-5 tbsp. I also toasted the walnuts first. That brings out a nice flavor in the walnuts.

Enjoy! :)

[Mackenzie]

I *heart* leeks. But as Holly said.. make darn sure you reall wash those suckers thoroughly.

[jena]

I think leeks have a unique taste. There is an onion-ish element to the whole package, but I think it's less than might imagine. They smell oniony when you chop them up raw, but as they cook they become sweeter, and there is something about them that is entirely their own, so hard to compare to other things. I would say there is something vaguely tart about them, and also something smokey. Another good one to try is smothered Chicken with Mushroom Ragout (online in recipe finder). It has the leeks in there with other things so that you aren't 'over-leeked' with your first experience.

[aggie94]

I'd describe leeks as having almost a sort-of buttery taste to them. I've loved leeks since I was introduced to them a few years ago.

Like others have already mentioned, you want to only use the white and pale green parts. Also, I've read that the smaller (narrower) the leek, the sweeter and more tender they'll be. So while I'm impressed at the 4" diameter leeks that Gail found (holy cow that's a big leek!), I don't think those are the best ones to buy.

One of my favorite leek recipes is CL's Leek and Mascarpone Risotto (or whatever it's called), which I'm sure has been posted before. Delicious!

[RebeccaT]

Well, you've all convinced me. Maybe the folks who don't like them are just keeping their mouths shut, but it certainly seems like the consensus is that leeks are good, and therefore I should try them!

Eva, that risotto sounds really good (but then, I think any risotto sounds good!) I am sure I can find it in all my CL annuals or by doing a search here - thanks for mentioning it!

I'll let you know what DH and I think. I asked him last night if he like leeks, and this is what he said:

"Yes....


"Honey, what's a leek?"

:rolleyes: