Category: leeks

Categories
bacon cheese leeks parmesan

cheese, leek and ham pasta

cheese leek and ham pasta 'n' sauce

“I bet I could make that.”

I was referring to a guilty pleasure of mine, Pasta ‘n’ Sauce. Packed with rubbish yet oh-so-moreish on a cold day, I can get real cravings for this horrendous muck. Can’t help it though. I was trying the cheese, leek and ham one and thought I’d have a go at my own version. It ended up tasting not like it at all, but still a very tasty lunch. It is fast though – about as quick as the packet version. And you know where everything comes from.

Cheese, leek and ham pasta ‘n’ sauce:

2 leeks, halved and sliced

100g bacon lardons

50g grated parmesan

250ml creme fraiche

300g penne

  1. Get the pasta on to boil in plenty of salted, boiling water. Cook according to the packet instructions (irony!).
  2. Fry the lardons in some garlic oil, or just regular olive oil if you haven’t got that. When browned on one side add the leeks.
  3. Mix the creme fraiche and parmesan together and when the leeks are tender and the bacon cooked, chuck this in the pan with a few scoops of the pasta water to loosen it. Check for seasoning and toss with the pasta until well combined.
Categories
food leeks lentils pancetta

braised puy lentils with leeks

I happened upon this recipe on the Merchant Gourmet site. I’m a big fan of leeks generally, but what attracted me to this was the chance to try out some ready-to-eat puy lentils. I love lentils, particularly puy, but who has time for all that soaking and boiling? As you may be aware I’ve no problem with pre-cooked grains, pulses and noodles, as they cut into the time required for a given dish substantially.

It’s a lovely mix of flavours, but it really shows off the lentils – tender but with a meaty bite, and that lovely pepperyness you associate with puy lentils. Very tasty!

Braised puy lentils with leeks:

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

200g diced pancetta

2 leeks, sliced

3 sprigs of thyme

200ml vegetable stock

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tin tomatoes

1 pack ready-to-eat lentils

Dried onions, to serve

  1. Fry the onions and garlic over a gently heat until softened. Add the pancetta, raise the temperature and fry until coloured on all sides.
  2. Add the leeks, thyme and a pinch of cayenne pepper and cook for a couple of minutes until starting to soften. Add the stock and tomatoes and simmer for a further ten minutes.
  3. When the leeks are tender, add the lentils and cook for a further couple of minutes until the lentils are warmed through. Check for seasoning at this point, you may need some salt and perhaps a pinch of sugar if your tomatoes are a little sharp. Serve garnished with dried onions.
Categories
egg food leeks

leek fritters

This is a cheeky treat from Ottolenghi’s latest, Plenty. I picked it out to cook expecting something quite nice but it simply floored me how good it was. There’s a lightness there, provided by the egg white I guess. Paired with a potent, tangy yoghurt this makes a pretty filling but very tasty brunch (or dinner when helped along by a salad – the brown specks on mine are a balsamic dressing!).

(It should be noted my method is adapted from Ottolenghi’s according to store cupboard and mood)

Leek fritters (serves 4):

3 leeks, sliced

1 onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon coriander

Handful of chopped parsley

150g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

50g butter, melted

1 egg

Some milk

1 egg white, whisked to soft peaks

For the garlic and coriander yoghurt:

300ml Greek yoghurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Handful of chopped coriander

1 garlic clove, grated

  1. Fry the onions and leeks gently until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool, adding the spices, parsley, some seasoning and a pinch of sugar.
  2. Combine the flour, whole egg, butter and baking powder and add enough milk to make a thick batter. Combine the leek mixture with this batter and fold in the whipped egg white.
  3. Cover the base of a pan with oil and get over a medium heat. Add large dollops of fritter mix to form pancakes and allow to brown underneath before flipping. This will take about 4 minutes on each side. Fry in batches until all done, draining on kitchen paper until needed.
  4. To make the yoghurt sauce, combine all the ingredients. Taste often, adding more lemon / oil / salt and pepper as required. A squeeze of lemon over the fritters wouldn’t go amiss either.
Categories
food gammon leeks rice

gammon and leek risotto

Thanks to this wonderful example of a roast chicken, I was of course left with a superb chicken stock to use up. Whenever I have spare stock floating about, my default dish is risotto. With some spare gammon and always keeping arborio in the cupboard, all this dinner requires is buying a leek. Quite a powerful flavour here – the gammon is of course quite strong, and the leeks quite sweet, so there’s a lot going on. The stock came through though, rich and meaty.

Gammon and leek risotto (serves 2):

2 gammon steaks, diced

1 large leek, cut into matchsticks

4 handfuls arborio rice

Glass of white wine

Chicken stock on the boil

Large knob of butter

Chopped parsley, to serve

  1. Fry the gammon in a little oil until coloured. Remove to one side.
  2. In the same pan, fry the leeks until softened. Add the rice and toast for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the wine and bubble quickly until reduced to almost nothing.
  4. Add the stock a ladelful at a time, allowing the rice to absorb it all before adding the next. Stir frequently. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Taste often after this, to check how done the rice is.
  5. When the rice is ready, check for seasoning and add the butter, stirring and shaking it furiously.
  6. Add the gammon and parsley, warm both through and serve.
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