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Leeks

The first weeks of spring are prime time for the onion family.  Green onions, spring onions, ramps and garlic are all coming in right now.  And so is an oft-overlooked member of the onion family, the leek.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino  of Schola Cooking School will confirm, this is actually a very good ingredient to work with.

Leeks are actually a pretty dramatic looking vegetable.  Their long deep green leaves culminate in a snowy white bulb, bearded with a little fringe of roots.

They are the national symbol of Wales, where the leek has been honored for centuries.  On St. David's Day, the leek is brandished along with it's sorta-kinda look-alike the daffodil.

If you're buying leeks for the kitchen, here's one indispensible piece of advice:  cut them up and wash them thoroughly. 

The leek's structure with its endless arrangement of leaves wrapped inside of leaves is ideal for trapping sand and soil.  So give them a good thorough bath.

Now on to the good stuff.   I think 90% of the recipes you come across will have you discard the long green leaves, and use the bulb and the pale base of the stalk.  Well, just hold on there. 

A quick search on-line revealed dozens of good recipes for leek leaves, particularly if you do toss the tough outer leaves.

But it is the bulb itself we like most. There are two classic things to do with leeks:  you can work them into a soup and you can braise them in the oven. 

For instance cock-a-leekie soup is a Scottish recipe that combines leeks with chicken and barley to make a dense, rich soup that will put you back on your feet.  Dozens of variations exist, depending on what mixture of vegetables you want to add in.  But it's the leeks and chicken that are at the heart of the soup.

Braised leeks are as simple as can be.  You cut them lengthwise, and perform the obligatory rinsing to remove grit.  You first sauté them very gently in butter and olive oil, then add in chicken broth and white wine for a simmer. 

In just a few minutes you're done, and after seasoning, the dish is good to go.          

After surfing the web I came up with a number of other good ideas for preparing leeks, and believe me, there are no shortage of ideas.

Allrecipes.com posted a recipe for a leek quiche.  They pair with Gruyere cheese (one of my favorites) to make a very tempting dish.  They also have a recipe that pairs leeks with cauliflower to make a hearty late winter soup.

Martha Stewart recommends sautéing leeks and apples together to serve as an accompaniment to roast pork.  She also slices her leeks into long thin julienne strips to work into a pasta dish with poached scallops and fresh tarragon. 

One other dish from Martha Stewart that caught my eye is a risotto made with leeks, bacon and fresh spring peas.  It sounds perfect for this time of the year.

From The Food Network, the Neely's whipped up a casserole with leeks, sausage, eggs and cheese.  They served it for brunch, and it was no trouble at all.

From Daphne Dishes came a very inventive idea:  a creamy leek sauce to serve with grilled steak.  Chicken broth, heavy cream and garlic blended with diced leeks to make a very tasty sauce for the meat.

Literally dozens of the recipes I looked at called for bacon to go with the leeks.  I don't know if it's because bacon is good with everything, or there is a natural affinity between leeks and bacon.  I think there might be.

Here is an idea: potato-leeks soup with bacon.  You add home-made croutons and peas to the chunky potatoes and leeks, all swimming in a chicken and cream broth. 

Nice!  

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
Executive Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant is fascinated by food and wine, and the way they work in harmony on the palate. His understanding of the two goes all the way to the molecular level, drawing on his advanced education in molecular biology. His cuisine is simple and surprising, pairing unexpected ingredients together to work with Corks' extensive wine offerings.