What's the word on cooking with leeks?

[WilliamPitt]

My wife wants to make a potato and leek soup, but heard word that preparing leeks is a pain in the ass. What's the word on cooking with leeks?

[Arugula Latte]

1. I love leeks. I don't think they're that tricky.

They do tend to gather dirt in between the layers. I cut off the dark green top part (some people don't use the light green part but I think it is delicious and not too fibrous). Then I split it lengthwise so I can rinse out whatever dirt is in there. Also, if you then go and cut the leeks up into little pieces and rinse it all in a collander, you're sure to get all the dirt.

on edit: Use a big, heavy-duty knife.

[LaurenG]

2. You have to cut them lengthwise in half and then soak

you might want to rinse and soak two or three times to get all the dirt out.

[siligut]

3. Very delicious soup your wife wants to make

Don't let the dirt discourage her. You have to cut them up anyway, so just soak them afterward.

[Suich]

4. I've never found dirt to be a problem.

They smell wonderful when you saute them!!!

:)

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. I used to make that all the time and never had a problem with gritty leeks.

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I WOULD halve them lengthwise in 1-2" chunks and rinse them a LITTLE... but it wasn't
overly time-consuming.
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I blended the end result and added a little cream for a classic vichyssoise -- and I've
found that eating it cold is a little too earthy for me -- so I've always eaten it hot --
and have since learned that, though cold is the usual presentation... it ain't written in
stone.
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One of the easier, more sophisticated dishes I used to make -- delicious velvet goodness.
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[pitohui]

6. i never noticed anything difficult about it, go for it, they're really delicious

haven't noticed a leek in the store in years but when i did, i never had any trouble making that potato and leek soup, highly tasty if you ask me

[K8-EEE]

7. It's SUPER EASY don't be intimidated

It's just a question of getting some running water in between the layers, very simple and potato leek soup is SOOOO YUMMY!

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Just cut the leeks lengthwise in half and rinse them to be sure they're clean.

Most leeks I've bought haven't had any dirt in them, but I've had some with a lot, so I always check to make sure. They grow in a way that makes it quite easy for them to lodge sand/dirt in between layers as they grow new layers.

Leek and potato soup is my favorite - chop up the taters (yukon gold) and leeks (including a lot of the green parts), about twice as much leek as tater, cover with a good chicken stock, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes or so until the taters are tender, then blend it all together. Add some cream and white pepper, and you're set.

You can also sautee the leeks first, but it's not necessary.

Serve with a homemade crusty bread, or bitchin' round loaf of rye or dense wheat bread, and some cheese (anything from brie to gorgonzala to goat cheese goes with this soup), and some preserved meats (prosciutto, salamis, bresaola, confit, etc.), and you have a meal that will curl your toes in joy.

For a really decadent version, use lobster stock instead of the chicken stock.

I've also made this using just barely enough stock to cook the leeks and potatoes in so that the end result is very thick, and then used that as a sauce in other dishes. Goddamn amazing, that's what that is.

[VenusRising]

9. The word?

DELICIOUS!! :9

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. Easy, and wonderful! We use the Julia Child recipe for Leek and Potato Soup...

Few ingredients - Leeks, butter, potatoes, salt, pepper, water, milk.

Get you some crusty bread and a nice wine....just perfect!

Ah yes, the leeks - sometimes they are quite muddy, sometimes not. We chop them up, put in water and soak briefly, then use a salad spinner - repeat if they are really mucky.

[applegrove]

11. You only chop the white part of the leeks for potatoe leek soup. You don't touch the green part.

Throw the green part out. Good luck. I love vichyssoise soup cold but you can eat it hot too.

[JTG of the PRB]

12. I make potato leek soup a couple times a year, and it's really quite easy.

As others in the thread have mentioned, you'll only use the best 3-4 inches above the bottom of the bulb for the soup. You slice the leeks in half lengthwise, and I always rinse between all the layers. It takes a little bit of time, but your soup won;t be crunchy or gritty - you'd be surprised how much dirt/mud/sand gets into those leeks.

Good luck, and have fun with the soup!

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

13. Leeks are wonderful!

The only thing better than leeks in Potato and Leek soup are
Leeks in Fish and Vodka soup!

I'll have to go look for my recipe - let me know if you like to try that one. (It is real easy)

[Graybeard]

14. You should also try Cock a Leekie.

Cock a Leekie is a traditional Scottish soup made with chicken, leeks and barley and flavored mainly with thyme. It's yummy.

[Orrex]

15. It'll get you thrown in solitary in the UK and extradited to Sweden

Wait.


What?

[KamaAina]

17. Only if you cook them in a Hawaiian-style teriyaki sauce

to make Wikileeks. :P

[Demoiselle]

16. Worth all the trouble, for sure.

When I want to use the whole leek (minus the coarse green tops) for sautee, I cut the green off, cut just a bit of the root end off, and slice lengthwise in quarters ALMOST, but not quite, through the root end.
Then, holding tight to the root end, I plunge them up and down in a deep container of water. The quartered lengths open up enough to sluice out any dirt. Then I sautee them in butter. Oh yum.
Of course, if you're going to chop up the white part for soup, you can soak and drain the chopped up bits and don't have to worry about keeping it together, as it were.

Leeks are great. Surely you've heard the cooking show joke, told best in Julia Child vocal mode, where our teacher grabs the veggie, smiles at the camera and says, "First, take a leek!"
Sorry. I do love silly old puns..

[davsand]

18. Yum! What time is dinner?

I joke...

Rinse the heck outta those leeks and stop cutting before you get to the green parts. That is probably the only thing you need to "worry" about if you are working with leeks. They have a very nice onion flavor without being terribly strong (my personal opinion) and they cook up nicely.

I would suggest you look at the Julia Childs recipe, or maybe the Mollie Katzen recipe in her veg cookbook Enchanted Broccoli Forest. I like Julia's recipe just a bit better, but if you are playing with the veg notion that Katzen recipe is quite nice.

DO use real honest to gosh cream if you are gonna do it. I think it makes all the difference in the flavor and texture.

Good luck!


Laura

[WilliamPitt]

19. THANK YOU EVERYONE

She read your comments and went on to make an absolute brain-eraser of a soup.

:toast:

[WCGreen]

20. I think you have to fix the leek before you cook...

I mean especially if you are making soup.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

21. .

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

22. Consulting Wikileeks is a good option

;)

[kwassa]

23. Ouch!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. my only experience with them was not good.

Mom once made quiche with leeks in it.

I threw up. They made an encore appearance.

[trof]

25. Leeks are wimpy. Go for ramps.

RAMPS
The flavor, a combination of onions and strong garlic,<4><5><6> or as food writer Jane Snow once described it, "like fried green onions with a dash of funky feet,"<7> is adaptable to almost any food style.

In central Appalachia, ramps are most commonly fried with potatoes in bacon fat or scrambled with eggs and served with bacon, pinto beans, and cornbread. Ramps can also be pickled or used in soups and other foods in place of onions and garlic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum

[BoWanZi]

26. http://leekspin.com/

:) That is what i think of everytime I heard of leeks.
http://leekspin.com/