Baby, it’s cold outside — and this time of year I love soup! Nothing warms me more than a large bowl of creamy potato leek soup. It’s decadent and while creamy, it contains no cream.
When I think about working with leeks, I think delicious, mellow onion flavor, and then I think about dirt. Leeks are incredibly sandy and if not cleaned properly, they can ruin a dish.
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Leeks look unwieldy with that giant dark green top, and many people are unsure how to work with them. Don’t bypass this delicious, aromatic vegetable because it is a little intimidating. I am here to help! I have created this quick video to show you how to cut and clean leeks easily and effectively.
Once you have mastered this task, you are ready to go. There are so many possibilities when it comes to leeks. Soups, crispy or raw topper to salads, the base for many dishes, filing for quiche and pierogis, risotto, etc.
Did I whet your appetite with the potato leek soup? It is a simple rustic soup that requires very few ingredients. It’s creamy and smooth without any cream added. The potatoes add a great creamy, thick texture to this soup. I top the soup with grilled cheese croutons for a salty and cheesy bite. I have recorded this recipe to demo it, and the recording is free along with the written recipe using this link.
Do you know what I love about salads? They can be anything you want in a bowl. So why not add some crispy leeks to the top of your salad or some sliced raw leeks in place of onion? It’s your salad to create so go for it. To crisp up the leeks, add some neutral frying oil to a small pan and fill the pan until the oil spreads out to cover the bottom of the pan. We are not deep frying so you don’t need a lot of depth.
Neutral frying oil is something like vegetable oil or avocado oil that has a high smoke point. Olive oil does not work well here. Turn on the heat and test the oil to see if it’s hot enough with a piece of leek. You are looking for a sizzle but you don’t want your oil smoking. Once hot, place all of the leek slices in the oil, separating the layers. Allow to cook in the oil until lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt while still hot.
Sauteed leeks are a great base for many dishes. I make a dish of buttered leeks and bake a piece of salmon or chicken right on top and it is incredible. Plan for one leek per person (unless they are small) and wash and slice into either rounds or half moons. In a large frying pan, put a generous amount of butter, salted or unsalted is fine here, and turn on heat to medium high to allow butter to melt.
Once the butter is melted, add the leeks, a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper and cook the leeks down until they are soft. This takes 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, place them in a baking dish and top with a seasoned piece of salmon without the skin or a boneless skinless chicken breast (seasoned means add salt and pepper and any other seasoning you want to use to both sides of the meat). Bake in the oven on 375F until the salmon is cooked to your desired done-ness and the chicken is fully cooked to 165F.
These sautéed leeks can also be added to quiche or pierogis. I like them better than using onions for a delicate filling.
Lastly, the leek can be used in place of onion for the base of risotto, or in addition to onion to add even more flavor. To make the risotto with leeks, sauté cleaned, sliced leeks in butter or olive oil until soft. Add the arborio rice and toast in the hot pan with the leeks for 3 minutes. Add some dry white wine and cook with the rice and leeks until it’s fully absorbed.
Next is the fun part. For the next 20 minutes, add hot broth to the rice one ladle full at a time and stir consistently until all of the broth is absorbed by the rice and the rice is cooked. It should still have a bite to it (al dente) but should not be hard. New step is to add Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Give the risotto a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the risotto is a little thick, add some hot water to thin it out. It should be a little loose on the plate but not soupy. Eat as is or top with a grilled protein. I love sautéed shrimp or seared scallops on top.
In fact, my January wine dinner features a spin off on this dish with asparagus and lemon risotto topped with scallops or shrimp. If you want to learn to make it and see which kinds of wine pair best with it, join us. Sign up by January 12 to get your wines shipped to your door in time. We have a lovely community who cook along together for these events.
The possibilities for leeks are endless. I hope you try out some of these recipes. Please let me know how you like them at debbie@theeffortlesskitchen.com. And if you like these tips, you may enjoy one of my classes. Click this link to see my winter menu.
See you in the kitchen!
Debbie
DEBBIE BROSNAN
Debbie is a personal chef turned virtual cooking class instructor. She started The Effortless Kitchen in 2019 making dinners in her client’s homes and transitioned to virtual due to Covid. Debbie is a passionate self taught home cook who began her journey cooking along side her mother and grandmother as a young child. Her focus is on healthy food that tastes amazing using simple recipes so that those who take her classes will continue to make those dishes and others in their own kitchens. The Effortless Kitchen offers weekly classes, custom parties and corporate events and all are virtual, interactive and fun. Recorded classes are now offered for those who cannot make the live events. Culinary travel is being added into the mix in 2022 with the first adventure in March to Napa. Debbie is thrilled with the shift in her business as she can reach more people and share her gift with everyone. Through The Effortless Kitchen’s classes, Debbie is creating a community of people who are both comfortable and uncomfortable in the kitchen all brought together by the common thread of food.
