Saturday, May 30

Braised Leeks

If the mere thought of turning on your oven this summer makes you cringe, then this recipe is for you! This vegetable dish can easily be tucked into your toaster oven and only takes 20 minutes to braise. And let me tell you, it is SO worth it. Leeks are usually hidden in soups, sauces, or casseroles. It has a milder onion flavor and is extremely versatile. This dish really showcases the leeks for who they are! Braising allows the leeks to breakdown and become sweet, smokey, and so tender you could eat with a spoon. 

Braised Leeks
3 leeks
Kosher Salt, freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
Lemon zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon breadcrumbs

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2 Trim of the dark green stalks and the roots. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise.
3 Place leeks in a bowl of cold water, cut side down to release the dirt between the folds. Most of the dirt will collect at the bottom of the bowl. This will take about 10 minutes.
4 Dry the leeks with a paper towel and season, cut side up, with salt and pepper
5 Prepare a pan with some olive oil over medium heat. Place the leeks cut side down and let brown for 5 minutes. The leeks should sizzle when on the pan.
6 Transfer the browned leeks, cut-side up, to an oven-safe dish small enough to fit into your toaster oven.
7 Pour the stock over the leeks and top with thyme, lemon zest, a little more salt, and bread crumbs.
8 Braise for about 20 minutes until the leeks are tender.

If you are wondering what to serve the leeks with, it really can go with anything — chicken, fish, meat. Thats the beauty of leeks. Versatility. I served this veggie style with a hard boiled egg and some sauteed garlic spinach. It was oh so satisfying and delicious!

9 comments:

grace said...

zoe, this looks delicious! truth be told, i've never had leeks by themselves, but that glorious browning and the thyme involved make me want to try it immediately!

Winchester Manor said...

Thank your for sharing this wonderful recipe, can't wait to try it! I'm also loving the Cherry Tomato Bites in your previous post!

Unknown said...

The hardboiled eggs caught my eye on tastespotting, but the leeks look and sound amazing - i'm definitely going to put those on the menu at casa nancita this summer! thanks for sharing!

Marta said...

I'm there with you! Eating braised veg by the spoonful! I often do it with zucchs and eggplants... so soft and creamy! I hadn't thought about using my toaster oven for briasing! Great energy-saving tip Zoe!

Anonymous said...

Oh, these sound delicious! I love the flavor of leeks and this is a great recipe to showcase their flavor!

My comfort food network said...

I generally don't buy leeks unless I am making soup. But this is a great recipe and would also work on BBQ along with some grilled chicken or fish. Yummm!

TheRavenousMommy said...

The leeks look SO good! I've never had them that way before...i'll have to try it :)

Kristen said...

These look so delicious - I never would have thought to do this, thank you!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Ok this might sound weird but your eggs look fantastic. I have never seen a hard boiled egg that looked so good:)