Question for the cooks

[resonant]

I made a sort of leek-and-potato-and-chicken-and-kale soup thing yesterday, which wasn't bad, but now I have three leftover leeks.

The only things I know how to make with leeks also involve potatoes and greens -- i.e. are just variations on last night's soup.

What else can I do with three leeks?

Bonus points if it doesn't involve cheese or cream or something like that, so that the cholesterol-endangered spouse can eat it, too.

Comments

[sandyurbahns.livejournal.com]

Check out this link

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=leeks

There are 174 recipes there hopefully you'll find something you'll like :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow. Now I know what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of months.

There's a recipe for Pasta with Leeks and Parsley, and I misread it as Pasta with Leeks and Piracy.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

You can use leeks as the onions for any recipe that calls for onions. They're milder, but they do the same job, basically. I use leeks in any number of soups and stews. They are particularly nice in lamb stew, but they also play nice with beef, chicken, beans, root veggies...the sky's the limit, basically.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to remember that, because I make lamb stew periodically, and am always looking for new ways to do it. Maybe I'll make some for St. Pat's.

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

The only thing I know to do with leeks is frittata. A dozen eggs, a little cream, prosciutto, and goat cheese. It's delicious. Let me know if you want the recipe. You might be able to adapt it to a quiche that would be more heart-friendly...

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That sounds totally glorious, but I'm afraid I'm trying to limit all those ingredients except for the leeks.

"What's this?"
"Leek, egg, cream, prosciutto, and goat cheese frittata, without the eggs, cream, prosciutto, and goat cheese."
"So, leeks, basically."
"And salt and pepper!"

[brynwulf]

You can carmelize them similar to how you were onions... saute on low in butter (or olive oil), then cook till they start to brown. Then cover with chicken broth and poach till very soft and serve over any kind of meat. :) We do the same thing wtih fennel bulbs.

Good luck! I love leeks like mad!

[fabularasa.livejournal.com]

I second that. Their flavor is so delicate and scrumptious that they don't require any potato-like back-up, and I love them best just sautéed in a skillet with some salt and pepper. No idea how that would work on the cholesterol, since I love them slathered in butter, but, um, I guess oleo would work too?

With any leftover leeks, stick them in your hat and patiently wait five more days to St. Davy's Day.

Pepper and leek sauce

[gurrier.livejournal.com]

3 large red peppers
2 leeks
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Cut the peppers into large pieces, remove seeds and broil until the skin blisters and turns black. Put in a closed container to cool, and then remove the blackened skin - the steam trapped in the container helps loosen it. Meanwhile, fry the leeks and garlic until soft. Add the stock, peppers and sugar to taste, and puree.

It's good with cheese tortellini with some zucchini and bacon, or with spicy pork sausages, or spread on a nice crusty loaf of bread. Freezes well too!

Re: Pepper and leek sauce

[mousewrites.livejournal.com]

::drools onto her keyboard::

Ok, I'm making this tonight.

Thanks!

[cetpar.livejournal.com]

I've never cooked with leeks before, but I have these recipes bookmarked to try. (The recipes are pretty similar.)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_23123,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_29687,00.html

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Well, that looks easy and delicious! [bookmarks for grilling season]

[aethereal-girl.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite dishes with leeks is a leek and mushroom pie -- sautee a large leek or two smaller leeks with two boxes of mushrooms, take them off the fire and add two eggs, salt, pepper, and cumin, mix it up and throw it in a pie shell or wrap it in several layers of phyllo dough brushed with butter or oil. Bake for about 40 minutes (in the pie crust) or 20 minutes (in the phyllo dough).

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

[making a note of this]

I've never worked with phyllo, but it sounds good. (Pie crust is no good for the spouse.)

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

I just cook mine with a bit of bacon (sorry for the cholesterol, but I use very little just for the taste) and then just saute the thinly sliced rings (not too mushy). Nutmeg, paprika, salt&pepper, that's it (OK, I sometimes put bit of cream in, but if you want to keep the cholesterol down, it's fine without). I like them with just salt potatoes as a side to any meat.

Other than that, just like Laura, I use them as milder onions in stews, soups, etc.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

argh..no cooking at all...i sauté the bacon and then the leeks (very short and painless :)

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Chop the leeks and saute in butter or margarine until soft. Spoon over poached or grilled salmon.

Another: saute until soft, add a little chicken broth (or cream) and a splash of wine. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg, and diced cooked chicken. Spoon over cooked rice or noodles.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Now all I want to eat are leeks, for weeks on end, despite the fact that what I actually did end up making was just not good at all.

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, leeks. You can saute them in some brown butter and add fried sage on top.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Sounds lovely! I've never done fried sage.

[jmchau.livejournal.com]

I always take the left over leeks from potato soup and make a leek broth. I use this like I might use veg or chicken broth. you can use leeks in any cooked dish in place of scallions/green onions, you just have to dice smallish. Cut small & use in risotto.

no cream or cheese? well that let Leek Tart right out.

RecipeSource: http://www.recipesource.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?search_string=leek

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Alas, it lets out lots of good things. But those are lots of choices.

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

Anything where you'd put a bunch of veggies in, put the leeks in. *g* Also, finely sliced leek isn't at all bad in maki rolls, but probably not a whole three leeks' worth.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Heh. They would probably have been good in a stir-fry, but the only other vegetables I had in the house were tomatoes, baby carrots, and frozen corn.

[zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com]

Alton Brown suggests leek rings (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_29688,00.html) in place of onion rings.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that in our house, in place of onion rings we have ... nothing.

[niangao.livejournal.com]

Generally all my family does with leeks is chop it up and stir fry it with eggs that have a bit of salt beat into them. I believe this is a fairly common Chinese household dish :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Huh! That sounds good. I've had eggs in fried rice, of course, but it never occurs to me to add them to stir-fries.

[exceptinsects.livejournal.com]

Leeks are EXCELLENT in a stir-fry. Sort of sweeter than onions, and they have a very nice texture. Just slice them diagonally about 1/4 in. thick.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

That's how I cook them...

[samena.livejournal.com]

You can chop them up into slices (not too thin) and boil them with some sliced tomatoes. It's very nice with a good piece of meat. Or you could make a quiche - though that would involve cheese, but a quiche with leeks and ham is really yummy. Leeks are very nice stir-fried as well, so you could just put a lot of different vegetables into a wok, or a frying pan - like onions and broccoli, etc. If you want to make it really oriental you could add some bean sprouts. Serve with soy sauce and noodles. Yum! :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Dan in your icon says, "Biggish leeks, about like this ..."

[jaebi-lit.livejournal.com]

Saute some minced garlic in olive oil, add diced, peeled plum tomatoes. When it's thickened a little, toss in some red wine, basil, sliced leeks, and other diced vegetables of choice (bell peppers are good). Let it reduce and then serve with a long, thin, flat pasta such as linguine.

[jaebi-lit.livejournal.com]

Oh, and salt and pepper to taste, right. The end result is a light sauce that's not too thick (go more sparingly on the tomatoes than you would in a red sauce, say, 1/person, and dice roughly) and has a nice, crunchy texture from the vegetables.

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

You've probably already cooked the leeks, but this recipe is good:


http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/leeklemn.htm

It's leeks with lemon and sugar from Claudia Roden. It's fun to cook the garlic with sugar.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That sounds so unlikely! It's good? Really?

[julad.livejournal.com]

I'm so bookmarking this post. The recipes are awesome.

One of my favourite things to cook is:

Throw chunks of leek (sliced in half lengthways), capsicum (bell pepper to you I think), roma tomatoes, zucchini, maybe eggplant, whatever other vegies in a baking dish along with handfuls of olives and capers. A little salt and olive oil, into the oven, and when it's nearly done, add some white fish fillets on top and bake until the fish is ready. Dead easy, really tasty, and actually rather healthy!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That sounds kind of mediterranean and marvelous. I don't care what you call them, though; I'm not eating bell peppers.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_swallow/]

I like to slice them into circles, brush them with olive oil and salt, and then roast them until they turn into potato chips.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow. Almost everything's good roasted, isn't it? I even discovered I like brussels sprouts that way.

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

You can chop them into 1.5 inch lengths, put a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a large frying pan, and cook them slowly over a low heat until they're a little brown around the edges. They're a nice veggie side like that.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Will have to try that; it sounds nice and simple, and we likes the balsamic.

[celestialcuming.livejournal.com]

What is a leek?

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Looks like a giant scallion/green onion. Tastes like a much milder version of an onion.

The cashiers at my grocery store don't recognize them, either.