Leeks Recipes

LeeksLeeks lend flavor, texture, and color to soups, rice dishes, and mashes. Leeks align perfectly with potatos (the famous potato-leek soup), mushrooms, chicken, cauliflower, sweet potato or winter squash, eggs, cabbage (think Irish colcannon) and seafood, including salmon.

Leeks belong to the allium family of vegetables, like onions and garlic. They have the typical sulfur-containing nutrients of alliums, and there’s research that supports including at least one serving (1/2 cup) of an allium in your diet every day for heart health.

To cook leeks, we recommend cutting them lengthwise and holding under running water as you separate the layers to clean out any dirt that may have gotten inside as the leeks grow. Then slice thinly and use as you would an onion. You can use both the white and green parts. If you feel the outside green leaves are too chewy, put them in soups or stocks for a real flavor boost! Like onions and garlic, let leeks sit for at least 5 minutes after cutting and before cooking to enhance their health-promoting qualities.

Leeks contain important antioxidents and help protect your blood vessels from free-radical damage. They are also high in the B vitamin folate. The entire plant from top to bottom contains these nutrients, and when they are grown organically, the green parts can be very tender.

Lemony Leek and Risotto Cake

leeks

These savory cakes have a lovely lemon-and-leek flavor.

1 leek, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for garnish

Place the sliced leek and 3 tablespoons of the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, until leek is tender. Add the rice and the remaining chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch baking pan.

When the rice is tender, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon zest, chives, parsley and mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into the pan, and spread evenly. Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned. Run a thin spatula or knife around the outer edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serve hot or cold, sliced into wedges. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

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Six Nettle Recipes

Nettle leaf

Young nettles are easily blanched and frozen to enjoy year round. They are easy to dry as well for healthy herbal teas.

Farmer’s Nettle Frittata
Saute red onions, mushrooms in season, grated carrot, finely sliced broccoli spears and minced chickweed together in olive oil until wilted. Add a handful of minced young nettle stalk and leaves on top, cover and let steam until nettles wilt. Meanwhile, prepare a mixture of eggs, minced parsley and dried basil. Stir well and pour it over the steaming veggies. Place a cover on the pan, wait until eggs set, then flip until done. Delicious as is or with salsa or chickweed pesto.

Leek, Chickweed and Nettle Soup
Saute chopped leeks, celery and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil until soft; add diced potatoes (I use russets or Yukon golds). Add minced chickweed, nettles, parsley, dried basil, turmeric, salt and perhaps a bit more oil or butter. Saute a few minutes more, mixing all the ingredients well to blend the flavors. Cover with stock or water and simmer until everything is tender. Other veggies can be added, such as tomatoes, grated carrots, or perhaps a tin of salmon added at the end for even more variety. Unlike most leek and potato soup recipes, I do not use milk or cream as an ingredient, nor do I find a need to puree if the ingredients are diced small enough, as everything seems to meld together just fine.

Nettle Lasagna
Any spinach lasagna recipe will do for nettle lasagna with the obvious substitution of sauteed or steamed young nettles. If you make your own noodles, toss a spoonful of dried nettle powder into your flour mixture for added nutrition or into your homemade tomato sauce.

Nettle Quiche
Again, there are countless recipes for making quiches. My favorite is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. Since I make my own crusts, sometimes I’ll throw in a tablespoon of dried nettle powder with my flours. For the filling, I use a large handful of chopped and steamed nettles, along with sauteed onions, mushrooms in season, chopped broccoli, and an assortment of fresh and dried herbs laid on a bed of feta and shredded raw cheddar cheeses. Over that goes an egg-and-milk mixture to which I might mix in an additional tablespoon of flour depending on how moist my ingredients are.

Nettle Greens Medley
Saute slivers of red onion and garlic in olive oil or coconut oil until translucent. Add equal amounts of chopped Swiss chard and nettle tops. Pour in a small quantity of water, cover with lid and steam until wilted and tender. Mix gently to blend the veggies and oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and serve.

Sesanelp
A seasoning mixture of sesame seeds, nettle seed and nettle herb plus kelp and Celtic salt. Tasty! Roast 1/2 cup sesame seed in a frying pan to your liking. Cool. To a blender add cooled sesame seeds, 2/3 cup of nettle seed, 2 tablespoons dried nettle herb, 2 tablespoons kelp granules and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt. Blend till fine. Store in a glass jar. Goes great with a wide variety of foods. My morning toast is sprouted grain bread with a dribble of olive oil topped with this mixture and nutritional yeast. Yum!

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Potato and Sweet Potato Torte

Alaska Bloom Potatoes

These Alaska Bloom potatoes would love to become potato torte!

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, trimmed, washed (see tip) and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 pound all-purpose potatoes, preferably Yukon gold (2-4 medium), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

Position oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450°F. Coat a 9 1/2-inch, deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and thyme; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to prevent scorching.) Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Arrange half the sweet potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared pie pan and season with a little of the remaining salt and pepper. Spread one-third of the leeks over the top. Arrange half the potato slices over the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Top with another third of the leeks. Layer the remaining sweet potatoes, leeks and potatoes in the same manner. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Bake the torte until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the torte to loosen it. Invert onto a serving plate. Remove paper or foil and serve.

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Celery Root and Leek Bisque

Celeriac, or celery root

Don’t let its bizarre appearance fool you: celeriac (celery root) is super-tasty in soups and bisques.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
Sea salt

In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil.

Add the leeks and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic cloves and season with salt, and continue to cook until the leeks and garlic are soft and translucent. If the vegetables begin to brown too much, add more olive oil (sparingly).

Add the celery root and stock.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer. Cook, with the lid to the pot ajar, until the celery root pieces are soft and easily pierced with a paring knife, about forty-five minutes.

When done cooking, remove from heat and add white pepper and chile powder.

Using a hand mixer at medium speed, puree the soup in its pot until thick and smooth. If necessary, add water or stock to thin.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

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Traditional Potato and Leek Soup

russet potatoes

It’s winter — eat your soup!

1 large leek, cut lengthwise, cleaned, chopped. Use most of the leek, except
very top part.
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1 pound potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Dash marjoram
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan.

Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme, plus a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste.

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Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

leeks

Leeks and potatoes go together like soup goes with cold winter days.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 whole leek, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and sweat the leeks, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add potatoes, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

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Parsnip and Apple Cider Soup

russet potatoes

Let roots and soups warm you this winter.

1 large boiling potato
2 parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and chopped fine
3 shallots, chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
1 leek, trimmed, washed well, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup heavy cream

Peel potato and cut into 1/4-inch dice. In a heavy kettle cook potato, parsnips, shallots, leek and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until leek is softened, about 12 minutes. Add broth and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In a blender purée mixture in batches and transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in cider or juice, cream, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated.

In a heavy saucepan heat 1″ oil to 360°F on a deep-fat thermometer and fry a parsnip that has been cut into thin strips in batches until golden brown, transferring with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Serve soup topped with fried parsnip.

We thank epicurious.com for this recipe.

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Smoked Salmon and Corn Chowder

Nourish Restaurant in Sequim, WANourish, Sequim’s new garden-to-plate restaurant and gathering place, is featuring a series of meals created using items from Nash’s farm share boxes each week. This week, expect Nash’s own (non-GMO) corn in your box.

2 ears of corn, shucked
3 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced (3 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces smoked salmon
4 cups fish broth
1 cup heavy cream
Dill for garnish

Corn on the cob

Locally grown (and non-GMO) corn on the cob!

Heat olive oil. Sauté leek and garlic.

Add potato, celery salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Add broth and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add milk and salmon and bring the temperature back to a simmer. Do not let it boil or milk will separate.

As the mixture simmers, stir in cream.

Top each serving with chopped dill.

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Braised Leeks

leeks

Braise your leeks to let their tasty flavor shine!

4 large leeks, tough outer leaves discarded and trimmed to about 6 inches in length
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper

Using a sharp knife, trim most of the roots off the end of the leek, leaving enough so that the leek remains attached at the bottom. Cut each leek lengthwise into halves and then cut each half into inch long pieces. Soak leeks in a large bowl of cool water to allow any dirt to settle to the bottom.

In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks to the skillet. Cook the leeks, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme and cook one minute more. Add stock, reduce heat to medium low. Braise the leeks, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until very tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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Mashed White Beans and Cauliflower

leeks

Looking for a tasty substitute for mashed potatoes? Use cauliflower, white beans, and leeks instead.

This tasty, low-calorie substitute for mashed potatoes came from aidamollenkamp.com.

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium leek, ends trimmed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces cauliflower florets
3 cups cooked white beans
2/3 cup fat-free low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh chives

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Halve leeks lengthwise, then cut crosswise into thin, 1/4-inch half-moon shapes. When oil shimmers, add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water. With a spatula, scrape up the golden bits. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes and set aside. Meanwhile, place an inch of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, cover and steam until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Combine leeks, cauliflower, and beans in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add broth and chives and puree until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Serve warm or room temperature.

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