how to cook leeks?

[chloe25]

hi! im' making this afghan lasagna tomorrow night and i'm supposed to chop up 2 large leeks. I never worked with leeks before...but I remember seeing on a cooking show that you gotta clean out the sand? Do I chop up and use all the green and white parts of the leek?

I"m confused!

Anyone have any knowledge on this?

thank you!!! :)

[bobmark226]

Pictures, and even a video, if you like!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_basic/article/0,1971,FOOD_9799_1729784,00.html

BOB

[blazedog]

You just use the green part of the leek per most recipes I've used.

I've never had particular trouble washing leeks - I rinse as usual and then drain and pat dry with a paper towel.

[MrsReber]

I cut off the top dark green part, cut them lengthwise, rinse out the inside because they can have sand in there, then I use the light green and white parts.

Most of the recipes I see call for light green and white part only. It's somewhat like an onion.

[funniegrrl]

Actually, it's the WHITE part of the leek you use. The green part is too woody.

I use the slice-it-in-half-lengthwise and wash technique, too, if the end result is going to be chopped.

[Searcher]

I cut my leeks at the place where there are no more tears in the outer leaves. Then I cut off the root end, stand the leek on that cut end and carefully slice down from the top into the white part. Gently separate the leaves under running cold water and rinse out all the sand. If the outer leaves are thick and tough looking I remove those.

Sometimes a recipe calls for both the white and light green part, sometimes for just the white. I slice them starting at whatever point my recipe calls for.

You can also make two cuts before washing if they seem particularly dirty. And, you can save the dark green parts to throw in a stock or in the bottom of a roasting pan when roasting a chicken or turkey. Just clean, dry and store in a baggie in the freezer.