How to fix a Leek...because they're back in full force right now

It's leek time again. They're piled high at farmers' markets, sold by the pound or bunch at relatively cheap prices because of their abundance.
To quote myself from an earlier leek post: Venerable is another word for the leek. "Eat leeks in March and ramps in May, And all the year after the physicians may play," is an old English proverb. The stalk has always been prized for its medicinal magic. Hippocrates, the so called father of Western medicine, supposedly prescribed it for nosebleeds. During medieval times, it was thought to cure a sore throat, to be an antidote for certain poisons, and a diagnostic tool.

The hardscrabble people of the British Isles actually revered the leek. It's not only still the national symbol of Wales, key ingredient in the infamous Scottish cockaleekie soup. It's given names to many an English town. Leighton, Leyton, Laughton, Leckhampton, Loughrigg and Lawkland all mean something like "land of the leek." It's also endowed that far more pungent bulb with the name we English speakers recognize: garlic--as gar-leek.

So here are a few favorite and new ways to fix a leek right now:

Braised Chicken with Leeks
serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil or butter or chicken fat

2 skinless chicken leg-thigh quarters

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 skin-on chicken breast, split to yield 2 halves

3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and chopped

4 carrots, chopped

6 celery ribs, chopped, leaves reserved for garnish

12 to 16 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered or sliced

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Chicken-wing meat

2 c chicken stock

1. Heat oven to 350º. Put the chicken fat or olive oil or butter in a roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sprinkle the leg quarters with salt and pepper and add them to the pan, flesh side down. Cook, turning and rotating the pieces as necessary, until well browned on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove, then add the breast halves, skin side down. Brown them well, then flip and cook for just 1 minute or so; remove to a separate plate.

2. Put leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, rosemary and chicken-wing meat in the same pan and cook until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Nestle the leg quarters among the vegetables, meaty side up (hold the breasts til later). Add enough chicken stock to come about halfway up the thighs. (The amount will depend on the breadth of your pan; add a little water if necessary.)

4. Put the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, checking occasionally and stirring the vegetables if they threaten to brown too much. When the thigh meat is tender, raise the heat to 400 and lay the breast halves on the vegetables, skin side up. Continue cooking until they are done, 20 to 30 minutes longer.

5. Transfer the vegetables to a platter. You can serve one of two ways: slice the breasts and shred the leg-and-thigh meat and lay the meat on top of the vegetables; or cut the leg-thigh pieces in half, cut the breasts in half and give each person a little of each. Garnish with reserved chopped celery leaves. 

Pork Cutlets with Leeks in Cream from the English cook Nigel Slater
serves 4

4, ¼ lb pork fillets

1 lg egg

½ c panko or other crisp small breadcrumbs

2 medium leeks, halved lengthwise, cut in half again and diced

3 tbsp butter

5 tbsp olive oil, divided

3-4 gherkin pickles, drained

½ c heavy cream

1 tbsp green peppercorns

salt and freshly ground black pepper

With a rolling pin or cutlet bat, flatten the pork fillets.

Break an egg into a shallow bowl and spread the breadcrumbs in a thick layer on a plate. Season them with salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a shallow lidded frying pan, add leeks, cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring regularly until they are soft but not browned at all. Chop the gherkins into thick rounds and stir them into the leeks. Add the cream and green peppercorns. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.

Dip the pork fillets into the egg, then the breadcrumbs, pressing firmly so the crumbs stick. Over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp olive oil in another shallow pan. Add the pork and cook the fillets 3-4 minutes or until crumbs are golden, then flip and cook the other side. When that side is also golden, remove meat to a serving platter and surround with the leek sauce.

Fish with Leek Agrodulce

Agrodulce is Italian for sweet and sour

Serves 2

1 ¼ lbs hake (or other firm white fish)
3 medium leeks, cleaned and steamed til soft
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp capers, rinsed
7 green olives, sliced
1 tbsp white raisins
1 small red chili, chopped (optional)
3 sprigs parsley, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 400º. Brush the hake and leeks with olive oil, season with salt, then roast for about 10 minutes, not together so you can separate them later. Meanwhile, make the agrodolce: mix the lemon juice, zest, some sea salt flakes, honey, capers, olives, raisins, chili and parsley. It should be perfectly sweet and sour, but adjust to your taste. Toss the leeks in the agrodolce sauce as soon as they are out of the oven. Let them absorb it for 1-2 minutes, then serve on top of and all around the hake.

Eggs with Leeks and Herbs

Serves 6

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 leeks, trimmed and sliced 1/4" thick
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1 small preserved lemon, seeds discarded, skin and flesh finely chopped
1 1/4 c vegetable stock
1 lb baby spinach leaves
6 eggs
1/3 lb feta, broken into roughly 1” pieces
1 tbsp za’atar or half/half minced flat leaf parsley and cilantro

In a large sauté pan that has a lid, melt the butter with a tbsp. of oil on a medium-high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add the leeks, ½ teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring often, until the leeks are soft, then add the cumin, lemon and vegetable stock. Boil 4-5 minutes until most of the stock has evaporated. Fold in the spinach, cook for a minute until wilted. Turn down the heat to medium.

Make six indentations in the mixture (a large spoon is the best tool for this), and break an egg into each space. Sprinkle the eggs with a generous pinch of salt, dot the feta around, then cover the pan and leave to simmer 4-5 minutes, until the egg whites are set and the yolks still runny.

Mix the za’atar or parsley mix with the remaining oil and brush gently over the eggs so as not to break the yolks. Remove from heat and take to the table to serve straight from the pan. 

NOTE: In that photo I sprinkled some Aleppo pepper on the eggs instead of Za'atar. 

And of course back again because they are an all-time favorite and a vegetarian delight:

Leek Patties

Makes 8, serves 4-6

 

6 lg leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tbsp fresh chives, minced

2 eggs, beaten

½-2/3 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 tsp coarse sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp corn or canola oil for frying

1 lemon

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and crosswise and rinse to clean.

Put leeks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer and cook uncovered about 25 minutes, until leeks are soft.

Drain well. Wrap leeks in a heavy towel to squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

Coarsely chop the leeks. Put in a bowl with the chives, salt and pepper. Stir in the breadcrumbs. (Enough to take up any remaining moisture in the leeks.) Blend in the eggs. 

Make 8 patties that are about ½ inch thick.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Arrange the patties in the pan so they don’t touch (you may have to do this in two batches) and cook until brown on the bottom side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes so both sides are evenly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve with a squirt of lemon juice and a wedge of lemon.

Optionally sprinkle minced fresh flat leaf parsley on the plate.

Can be served warm or cold.

And finally, the most classic leek dish in the books,

Vichyssoise: Leek and Potato Soup

from Anthony Bourdain as served at Les Halles in Manhattan

4 tbsp butter

8 leeks white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced

2 medium potatoes cut into small cubes

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

4 fresh chives, finely chopped

1 pinch nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large, heavy bottom pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add the leeks and sweat for 5 minutes, making sure they do not take on any color. Add potatoes and cook for a minute or two, stirring a few times. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook on low heat, gently simmering 35 minutes, or until the leeks and potatoes are very soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Slowly, and in SMALL batches, puree the soup at a high speed in the blender. Do this bit by bit, never filling the blender too high. Make sure the bender lid is on, and lean on the top when you turn on to keep the lid down.

Return soup to the cooking pot and whisk in cream and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes. If you want thinner soup, add more broth.

Vichyssoise is traditionally served ice cold but you can serve if hot from the pot if you prefer. To chill it: Transfer soup to the mixing bowl and chill over an ice bath, stirring occasionally. When soup is room temperature, cover in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator to cool. To serve: check seasoning, sprinkle with chives and serve in chilled bowls. Vichyssoise gets better over time as it sits so you can keep it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for a day or two.