ISO: Leek recipes

[gobluem82]

I was lucky enough to find a bunch of leeks in my store's bargain bin--usually they're too expensive for my tastes! Does anyone have any recommendations on what to make with them?

[emilycat]

Oh, allow me to pledge my love to leeks http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

I adore them, really -- and I have the most incredible recipe for Pappardelle with Sweet Leeks and Mascarpone from The Naked Chef that really highlights their flavor. I'll post it this evening if you're interested.

[JJ40]

Oooooo! Ooooooo! Emilycat, please post that recipe!!

Julie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[aka]

Hi,
The March/April 1994 issue of CL has a "technique" article on leeks. Unfortunately, I haven't tried any yet, but some of them do look good and they are on my mental "to try" list.

Here are the recipe titles, let me know if you want me to post any of them.

Vichyssoise Potato Salad
Penne with Leeks and Chicken
Gratin of Leeks
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Leeks

Thought I'd add these ones that I found when I was looking for another recipe for myself:
Frittata with Leeks, Spaghetti, and Zucchini (CL May 1999)
Braised Leeks with Tomatos (CL June 1995)

Lilia

[This message has been edited by aka (edited 05-23-2001).]

[sneezles]

This recipe from Bon Appetit is wonderful!

POTATOES WITH LEEKS AND GRUYERE

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 pound leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
2 pounds large white-skinned potatoes, peeled, shredded
3 cups grated Gruyère cheese (about 12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.

Blend cream cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in processor. Add milk and eggs. Process just until blended. Transfer to bowl with leeks. Add potatoes and Gruyère. Stir to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.

Bake potatoes until cooked through and top is brown, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, in 350°F. oven, about 25 minutes.)

Serves 12.


Bon Appétit
April 1999

[Vanessa]

CREAM OF LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
Julia Child
Note: you can adjust the ing with low fat ones for a healthier version
3 cups sliced leeks, white and tender green parts
3 cups peeled and roughly chopped Russet potatoes
6 cups water
11/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1/3 cup minced chives or parsley
In a large heavy saucepan, bring the leeks, potatoes, water, and salt to the boil over high heat. Cover partially, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Correct the seasoning, to taste, and puree with a handheld immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor.
Whisk in the cream and reheat before serving. Top each serving with a dollop of crème fraiche and sprinkling of fresh chives.

[gertdog]

emilycat, I second the request for the pappardelle recipe. It sounds fabulous!

And I also wondered if you like the cookbook? Is there enough in it that a vegetarian can make, to make it worth buying? I've heard good things about it, but don't know anyone who actually owns it. Thanks!

Stephanie

[Julia1Pin]

How abou the leek and mascarpone cheese recipe:

Leek-and-Mascarpone Cheese Risotto
SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: April 2000 PAGE: 166
INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
8 cups water
6 cups chopped leek (about 6 large), divided
2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 thyme sprigs
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup (3 ounces) mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (1-1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Leeks, golden saffron, a touch of lemon, and a few of the first basil leaves
of spring make this a cheerful risotto. Mascarpone (mas-kar-POHN) is a buttery
Italian triple-cream cheese found in many supermarkets and gourmet food shops.
Regular cream cheese makes an acceptable, though not as rich, substitute.
1. Combine water, 2 cups chopped leek, 1 cup parsley, 1/2 cup basil, 1/2
teaspoon salt, and next 5 ingredients (salt through celery) in a large Dutch
oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 35
minutes. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.
Reserve 5-1/2 cups broth; reserve remaining broth for another use.
2. Bring 5-1/2 cups broth and saffron to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not
boil). Keep warm over low heat. Melt butter in a large saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add 4 cups chopped leek; saute 5 minutes. Add rice; cook 2
minutes. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir
in 2 cups broth; cook 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed,
stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring
constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next
(about 15 minutes total). Add 1 cup parsley, 1/2 cup basil, mascarpone, lemon
rind, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until mascarpone melts. Sprinkle with
Parmesan. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup).
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 323 (27% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 5.4g, mono 3.1g, poly 0.8g);
PROTEIN 7g; CARB 48.7g; FIBER 1.8g; CHOL 21mg; IRON 4.1mg; SODIUM 589mg; CALC
135mg

[gobluem82]

Lilia,
Can you please post the recipe for penne with chicken and leeks? All of these recipes sound great--deciding which one to use will be tough!

Also, I just noticed I've become a Member--finally!

[foodiedelite]

Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Thyme. The recipe is from www.epicurious.com. (http://www.epicurious.com.)

You can make the mashed potatoes the night before and reheat for great flavor. These are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. They remind me of France..... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Karen M]

CL's Braised Salmon with Leeks and Dill is one of our favorites. I think it is in the '97 Annual.

[aka]

Here it is.

Lilia
* Exported from MasterCook *

Penne with Leeks and Chicken

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cooking Light 1994 Pasta
Poultry

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup Chablis -- *see Note
1 teaspoon dried whole basil
1 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove -- thinly sliced
1 10 1/2 ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound skinned and boned chicken breast
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups leek -- julienned
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups penne pasta -- cooked
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes -- undrained chopped
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese -- grated

Combine first 6 ingredients in Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. remove chicken from pan. Strain cooking liquid, reserving 1 1/4 cups; discard solids. Shred chicken; set aside.

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add leek; saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle leek with flour; stir well, and cook 1 minute. Gradually add reserved cooking liquid, stirring well. Cook 3 mintues or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add chicken, pasta, and next 3 ingredients; simmer 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Source:
"Cooking Light March/April 1994, page 110"
Yield:
"1 1/2 cups"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 535 Calories; 6g Fat (9.5% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 85g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 44mg Cholesterol; 183mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : Other dry white wine may be used
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[emilycat]

Julia -- I'm so glad you thought of the risotto; it's one of my favorite dishes, so I can't believe I forgot to mention it!
Stephanie, I have really enjoyed the cookbook so far. It is a bit heavier on meat dishes than I would like, so there are a bunch in there I won't ever even try. But I've had a great time with the pasta dishes, and his sauce, vinaigrette and vegetable dishes are excellent. I love the way it's written, too.

One thing about this recipe -- I love it so much, I think I've made it about 5 times. This almost never happens in my kitchen. So that's how awesome I think it is. Also, on several occasions I've added a bunch of sauteed acorn squash, since I have a love affair with the stuff, and that makes it even more excellent, in my opinion. So anyway, I'll type it up as soon as I can -- tonight, hopefully. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

Here's the Naked Chef recipe I was referring to -- just a few notes: When I make this recipe, I make a few adjustments so that it makes two servings -- I half the amount of leeks (maybe use a bit more), but fourth the amount of pasta (I use whole wheat linguine), so that it's 2 ounces per serving (I think a pound for 4 people is a bit excessive.) Also, I use only 1 ounce of mascarpone -- I think it would be insanely rich with all that he calls for (which would be 3 1/2 ounces for 2 servings). And I don't always use the parmesan -- I don't think it needs it. And as I mentioned earlier, I often add some sauteed, cubed acorn squash and a bit of thyme. Anyway, I hope y'all try this -- it's delicious, and quite easy and quick to make.

Pappardelle with Sweet Leeks and Mascarpone

When buying leeks try to buy the medium-sized to small ones, which are sweeter, more tender and basically nicer to eat.

Serves 4
1 T. of butter
1 T. of olive oil
4 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced at an angle
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black peper
7 ounces mascarpone
1 lb. pappardelle
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese

Put the butter and olive oil into a thick-bottomed pan set over medium-ghigh heat, add the leeks and garlic, with a pinch of aslt, and gently sweat, without coloring, for about 5-10 minutes with a lid on, until the leeks are soft and sweet. Add the mascarpone. Let this gently melt into the leeks, creating a semi-thick sauce. Taste for seasoning.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Toss gently in the sauce (if it seems slightly thick, add a little of the cooking water from the pasta). The sauce should perfectly coat the pappardelle. Serve sprinkled generously with Parmesan.

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 05-24-2001).]

[SandyM]

Once I looked up the term Pappardelle, I copied the recipe - thanks Emily - this sounds great! And I appreciate your comments too. The 7 oz. of mascarpone sounded a bit excessive........

[JJ40]

Thanks for posting that recipe, emilycat. But what the heck does it mean, "gently sweat, without coloring, for 5-10 mins"????

I've never heard of "sweating" food. Help?!

Julie

[emilycat]

It just means that you're letting the leeks cook without allowing any of the moisture to escape -- by not having the heat too high and covering the pot, they get soft and tender instead of dry and crispy, as they might if you sauteed them. It creates a sweeter flavor and more sauce, because there's no where for the juices to go. Make sense? I promise, it's really easy to make http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif