What to do with the green part of leeks
Now that's a catchy title, isn't it. A poet I clearly am not! Anyhoo...
Last week I made my favourite cauliflower and leek soup (with truffle oil - it is SO good. If you'd like the recipe, let me know and I'll share it on here). As always, though, I was left with the tough greens of the leeks, and no idea what to do with them.
But instead of tossing them away as I have in the past, this time I put the greens back into the 'fridge, then put the question to the Instagram community: "I made soup but what can I do with the green parts of the leeks?"
As it turns out, quite a lot! In case you have the same question, following are some of the tasty suggestions I received.
Fondue de poireaux (leek fondue)
This was suggested by @ninondanslenclos. She says, "Cut the leeks in small parts and let them simmer with water in a pan at low heat, until the leeks are soft. Also, you might replace some of the water with white wine and/or creme fraiche (French habits). Add salt and pepper depending on your preferences. I would advise to serve with white rice and chicken, or tofu for a veggie version."
Chicken stock
Food writer @estelletracy suggested using the green parts of the leeks when making chicken stock. There are loads of recipes for making stock online, this one looked good to me.
Soup, stew or broth
Similarly, @__roxana_nicoleta uses the green parts of leeks to flavour all kinds of slow-cooked things, including soup, bone broth, vegetable broth, and stew.
Steamed leaves
As a simple but tasty-sounding idea, @thetallphotographer says, "The end bits can be tough but the paler bits are lovely steamed with garlic butter."
Leek, potato & bacon pie
How delicious does this sound? From Denmark, @lineaswonderland shared the following recipe:
Ingredients:
Tart bottom (home-made or store-bought)
3 leeks (or the greens of them)
A pack of bacon bits
4 eggs
2 dl* cream
800 grams (28 ounces) potatoes
salt and pepper
Method:
* Set the oven to 250 degrees Celsius (482 Fahrenheit)
* Peel the potatoes, cut them into small pieces, and boil them for 10 minutes
* Line the pie-tray with the tart bottom, and poke holes in the bottom with a fork
* Set the tart-bottom in the oven for five minutes
* Cook the bacon (@lineaswonderland suggests doing this in the oven to minimise greasy mess)
* Whip together the eggs and cream, the season with salt and pepper
* Clean, separate and cut the leeks into rings
* Put the bacon, potatoes and leeks into the pie, then pour over the egg and cream mixture
* Bake for 30 minutes
*dl stands for decilitre. 2 decilitres are equivalent to 200 millilitres, or 6.8 fluid ounces
What do you think? Would you try these? Do you have any recipes or ideas to add to this list?
