Currently viewing the tag: "leeks"
The taste of fresh ground coriander is a refreshing floral, citrusy flavor with a little bit of nuttiness to it. I like to use it as one would pepper when I don’t want the bite or heat pepper can bring. I have a pepper mill just for coriander seed I like it so much. I suggest giving it a try. Find an old mill at the flea market, or grind some up and try it to see what you think before buying a new mill.
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Use this to top grilled or roasted fish, or serve as a side. This would be good mixed into hearty grains or thinned with a little pasta cooking water and used as a sauce on pasta shapes like campanelle or dischi volante. The fava greens are the tips of some of the plants and may include flowers. They have a “green” spring quality to them, and you want to just cook them.
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The cabbage is rendered tender but still crunchy by salt-wilting it, then it is gently warmed in a sauté pan with a mélange of soft cooked leeks and green garlic. This method brings out the sweetness of the cabbage which works well with the sweetness of the alliums and makes a great foil to the silkiness of the leeks and garlic.
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This light soup celebrates spring. If you have asparagus, add some 1/8th inch bias cut slices and you have all the local vegetable harbingers of the season. This recipe is more of a guideline, really. Feel free to play with it. You could just add the chard stems to the liquid, but the sautéing brings out sweetness in the stems, and wilting the chard in a separate pan gives a lighter, cleaner flavor to the broth. The fava greens are the tips of the plants, including some of the flowers. Add mushrooms, carrot shreds, whatever you find.
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This is another recipe where cooked vegetables stand in for a normal sauce. The “sauce” could be used on its own or with pasta or grains as well. The recipe uses tilapia, but feel free to substitute other firm white fish such as cod, halibut, etc. Swordfish would work also, or toss it with grilled or sautéed shrimp. This dish is easiest to make the day after you have cooked artichokes. Cook a 2-3 extra to have with this dish, or just eat the leaves one night and use the hearts the next.
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This is loosely based around a traditional Japanese treatment of greens. The stems of shiitakes are frequently too tough to eat, but still contain plenty of flavor. Using the stems for a “stock” base keeps them from going to waste and boosts the flavor of the dish. See Chef’s Notes for more about this.
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If the idea of ham does not appeal, use some Pimenton de la Vera instead for the broth. The smoky flavor really pulls this dish together. Use more stock to turn this into a brothy soup, or cook it down until the stock has reduced to a glaze and serve as a side. Finishing with a few drops of a vinegar based hot-sauce, vinegar, or lemon juice adds a bright spark to the dish and emphasizes the sweetness in the ham, leeks, and peas.
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This is a variation of a southeast Indian dish. You can skip the chilies if you don’t want it hot, or add more if you like it really spicy. If you are not fan of cumin, use the curry powder option. The dish will be “sweeter” tasting, rather than earthier, but will still be just as delicious. If you do not have pink lentils (which are more of a salmon color, really) use another type that will hold shape once cooked. This dish has more texture than a dal that is simply simmered until the lentils disintegrate, which is why the lentils are soaked.
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Great for cold weather. This makes a fair amount, but is great as leftovers for lunch the next day, or even breakfast with a fried egg on top. If you like the idea of smoky, but not the ham hock, you can skip it and use some Pimenton de la Vera (Smoked Spanish paprika) to add the smokiness.
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This is an all-in-one dish with eggs, vegetables, and grains. It works without the grains, too, but if you make them the night before or have leftovers, it is even easier. Carrots add a sweetness that counters the sometimes almost tannic mineral quality of chard. The eggs are baked “whole”, not mixed in as a batter like a quiche, so the yolks act as a sauce and make for a pretty dish.
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Leeks, like garlic and onions, belong to the allium family. Since leeks are related to garlic and onions, they contain many of the same beneficial compounds found in these well-researched, health-promoting vegetables.
We offer several members of the allium family in our boxes including spring onions, scallions, purplette onions, leeks and green garlic.
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Although Frizzled Leeks sounds like a silly name, it is one that is actually used in restaurant kitchens and elsewhere. This is usually used in restaurants as a garnish for soups, salads, and things like a chop or chicken breast, but I have cooked these up for wait staff who ate them like potato chips after shift with beer or glasses of white wine and in one case, oysters. They keep well in a box with a tight fitting lid for several days, and they are great for making things look fancy. Very easy.
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A variation of Sautéed Celery, this adds silky ribbons of leeks and a little white wine for depth and contrast to the crunch of the celery. Use scissors when trimming the celery leaves for ease. You have to use good butter for this dish as that is really all there is for the sauce.
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The trick to this dish is to simmer it gently so the cauliflower and potatoes don’t overcook. The cauliflower should be cooked through, but still retain some toothsome texture. Reducing the stock with the fennel and leeks adds flavor. Use a waxy potato rather than something like a Russet so the potato does not disintegrate and turn to mush.
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This stock is used in the same way you would use a dark chicken stock or other meat stock. It works well as a base for sauces and soups, and if you are feeling under the weather it is nice for when you don’t want to actually eat, but want some nutrition. It is really nice heated up with some fresh ginger in it. In meat stocks, the agent that thickens it is gelatin. In vegetables, the equivalent is pectin. By charring the onions and sautéing the rest of the vegetables, the pectin is catalyzed and so more readily available to the stock. Konbu* is a type of kelp. Seaweeds are used commercially as a thickener in many things, from toothpaste to ice cream, and is used that way here.
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