Leek Fritters

 Recipe Courtesy of Cavemen Gourmet.

 

 

Ingredients

-4 large leeks
-1/2 cup almond flour
-2 pastured eggs
-1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
-sea salt
-pepper

Directions

-Chop the leeks coarsely – I cut mine in 1/4 inch pieces.  Place in a medium size bowl and rinse under cold water.  I find that there’s a lot of hidden dirt in the leeks after I cut them so a quick rinse is necessary unless you like eating mud.

-Place the washed leeks in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until tender.  Drain and set aside.  Once the leeks have cooled a bit, hand mix the leeks with almond flour, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Form small patties and arrange on a tray to fry.

-In a large skillet, heat olive oil and pan fry until golden (usually 2-3 minutes on each side).  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Leeks Vinaigrette

The following recipe is adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, published in 2007. Waters writes, “Leeks are at their best in the cold months, when lettuce is scarce. Dressed with this mustardy vinaigrette, they make a bright winter salad."

Leeks Vinaigrette
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 large leeks, trim and clean
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or chervil

Directions
1. Cook leeks until tender in abundant salted boiling water. To test for doneness, use a sharp knife to pierce the thickest part of the root end. If the leek is tender it will offer no resistance. When the leeks are done, carefully lift them out, drain them, and set them aside to cool.
2. To make the vinaigrette, mix together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and papper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Taste to adjust the seasoning as needed.
3. Squeeze the cooled leeks gently to remove any excess water. Cut lengthwise into halves or quarters. Gently toss with a pinch of salt.
4. Arrange leeks on a plate, spoon vinaigrette over, and turn gently to coat. Sprinkle parsley or chervil over top.

Potato Leek Soup

Thank you to Bailey, for the following recipe originally posted on her blog, Socratic Kitchen (http://socratickitchen.blogspot.com/).

Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
1 leek, julienned, 2 inches
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
olive oil
4 to 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup soy milk
fresh cilantro
thyme, rosemary, parsley, and ginger to taste
1½ cups corn, optional

Directions
1. In a deep sautéing pan (with a lid), sauté garlic, onions, and sea salt in olive oil until onions appear translucent, about 5 minutes. Add leeks and saute until softened.
2. Pour broth over the vegetables and add potatoes. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat and cover.
3. Let simmer covered until potatoes are softened. Strain soup into a large pot, collecting solids in a colindar. Purée solids, then add back to the soup and stir until well blended. Add the soy milk, and adjust spices to taste. Add corn, if desired. Serve with a cilantro garnish!

Potato Leek Soup

Amy, one of our Philadelphia site hosts, writes, "This week I made a Potato Leek soup that was amazing—it was all I ate for 2 whole days (all I wanted to eat)." Be sure to check out her awesome recipe blog (often features recipes created and inspired by LFFC produce) at http://esseppis.blogspot.com/.

Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
olive oil
4 leeks
2 lbs potatoes
3 to 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and stems discarded
4 to 5 stems of French Sorrel (from the CSA swap box this week!), stems removed and rough chopped
6 to 7 cups water
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

Directions
To clean your leeks:
First peel off the outer layer by just pulling down from the top. Cut off the tough tops (right below where the leaves start to fan out) and the roots at the end. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and turn the flat side of each half down against the cutting board. You can cut each half separately if you are more comfortable with that, but I place them next to each other and slice down both stalks together—about 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Toss all the sliced leek pieces into a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water so the leeks float to the top with room for the dirt to fall to the bottom away from the leeks. Separate the rings of the leeks so all the dirt falls to the bottom. Carefully scoop the leeks out and on to a clean dish towel to drain and dry.

After the leeks are prepped, prep the potatoes. Peel and dice the potatoes (1/4-1/2 inch). I use my big dutch oven, but any large pot will work. Heat up some olive oil in the bottom of your pot (just enough to coat). Add in your leeks. Keep heat around medium - you want the leeks to soften and wilt, but not brown. Add a bit of kosher salt to help them wilt down. It will seem like a lot a first but as the heat up and you stir it occasionally it will wilt down. It will take about 10 minutes. Then add the herbs (I had thyme & French Sorrel) and some fresh ground pepper. Add in 6 cups of the water.

Add the potatoes & bay leaves. Cover and simmer the pot for 30 minutes. Take off the lid and turn off the heat. I use an immersion blender (but I am sure a regular blender will work, just be careful and don't fill too much and cover the top with a towel before turning on) to puree the whole thing right in the pot. Make sure you take the bay leaves out first. If it's too thick for you (it is never too thick for me!), add a some more water, a little at a time till it is at the consistency you like. Taste and adjust s&p if it needs it.

If you want some potato chunks in your soup, first only add 1.5 lbs of the potatoes and follow the instructions. Once the soup is pureed, turn back on the heat and add the half pound of diced potatoes left and let simmer for 30 mins. You'll have a nice creamy soup with little bites of potatoes.