"The leek is the onion's refined sister, brought here by the Romans, for the times you want the latter's silken texture but less of its bold sweetness." Nigel Slater
I'm feeling lazy and also uninspired so I decided to just pick on one of the many yellow post-its sticking out of Nigel's book Tender volume 1 which sits on my desk waiting for attention. So I picked it up and turned up his introductory page on leeks. So Nigel's leeks - recipes that is - most of them but not quite all. I'm sure there are others here and there.
And yes I know it's Nigel again, and maybe if I'd turned to a different page I might not have done another Nigel, but I do like leeks, and have started to try and always have one in my fridge. They are expensive, but they last for more than one meal generally. This is a photograph from his book, and may well be ones he has grown himself, but I think they are a bit difficult to grow so I was never going to do it. I just make do with what I get from the supermarket.
I actually use most of the leek. As I progress up from the bottom I begin discarding the outer leaves, when they start to look tough and keep going until only tough is left. I throw the tough bits away, although Nigel tells me I should keep them for stock. He's right of course, but I don't.
"Whereas an onion caught around the edges by a bit of overcooking will take on a welcome rustic note, a leek scorched is a leek ruined."
He's also right about scorching them. They're not good, scorched. Not like onions. So I assume they have less sugar in them. So you need to soften them carefully. In butter too:
"It is butter rather than oil that brings out the best in this member of the allium family, which is another reason to keep the heat low. Their pale green leaves love cream too."
And cheese. Nigel suggests covering them with greaseproof paper and a lid to prevent the burning. I assume a low temperature too. But I'd still watch it.
Anyway, as I said, I'm feeling lazy, so herewith what is basically a list of Nigel leek recipes, with pictures, and every now and then a comment. You might find something that tempts you to experiment a bit.
I'll start with tarts (and pies) - he loves tarts - as do I. Almost every week we have at least one tart of one kind or another. Somewhere in his writing he said that he loved the pastry so much that sometimes he just makes extra pastry and cooks it on its own.
Chicken, bacon and leek pie from Sarah Cooks because I can't find the original recipe online, even though she has a link to it. It seems to be broken. Lots of others have made it too with much acclaim, and Nigel does have online a variation - Chicken, leek and prune pie - prunes instead of bacon
Then we turn to simple leeks and cheese: Leek and Parmesan pie a pretty simple galette A tart of leeks and cheese - Food, Photography and France whose author describes it as: "a tart for all seasons and for all reasons". Potatoes are added to the mix here and it's actually a pie constructed with puff pastry. Then we have Leek and taleggio tart which is also a pie, but which the people of Love Your Veg/Camel Community Supported Agriculture turned into a tart (the two on the right below). Perhaps I should also include here his Hot-smoked fish and leek pie on the 4th Estate website, which I have now made a couple of times because it is so wonderful.
Two soups - there are more, but these two were the most interesting: Leek and mussel chowder and A soup of roots, leeks and walnuts on a website called Buttered Bread - whose author had this advice:
"Whatever you do, though, do yourself a favor and don't skip the spice mix, even though you may be tempted to save time. Yes, there's more chopping involved and yes, you'll have to clean an additional pan afterwards – but this crunchy garnish is what makes the soup something special, flavor-wise and texture-wise."
Interestingly though another person who had tried it didn't like the spicy topping, but he/she had messed with the recipe a whole lot more, substituting the Jerusalem artichokes - the roots of the title - with a mixture of other root vegetables, which would change the nature of the soup rather a lot I would think.
Braises and stews: Chicken with leeks, lemon and tarragon; Braised chicken with leeks, orzo, peas and parsley from The Home Page ; Pork, fennel and leek braise from Pumpkin and Pear which is a variation of Pork with leeks and green peppercorns - picture from the Jono and Jules website and Braised lamb shanks with leeks and haricot beans/ Epicurious. I've also added here Pork cutlets with leeks and cream which is a kind of a hybrid in that the pork is breaded and fried and then served with a creamy sauce.
Finally a mix of this and that: Leek risotto with Parmesan crisps on the BBC Good Food website; Leek and mushroom crumble; Beans with leeks and Caerphilly - a fancy kind of beans on toast and a tray bake of fish - Red mullet with spring vegetables
So there are some suggestions for dinner this week. Leeks are pretty nice. I have left out Vichyssoise, which is perhaps their finest hour - a 3 ingredient recipe too, maybe even two if you use water and don't count the butter. And as he says:
"If I'm honest, I use leeks so much because onions make me cry and I don't have to peel them."
You may well have to wash them however. Or at least look out for little bits of grit and dirt.
YEARS GONE BY
March 4
2024 - Roasting garlic and shallots
2023 - Nothing
2022 - Lavender Lovage and #Cook for Ukraine
2020 - deleted
2018 - Nothing more here until 18th. Did I go somewhere?
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