Daily Unadventures in Cooking » leek

Pancetta and Leek Risotto Recipe

katerina — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:23:58 +0000

Bright spring leeks are now peaking out of the stalls at the farmers markets and caroling at me to use them in a creative way. They are talking about freshness, asking for warm salads and light braises. But sometimes — well all the time really — the body just wants bacon.

Not just any bacon, but pancetta, an Italian cured but smokefree pork belly product and a lovely accompaniment to leeks. The salty cubes of pancetta absolutely make this risotto, and of course you can’t listen to your inner bacon devil everyday, but sometimes you just need to top your food with a little swine.

The soft leeks do get their chance to sing of course. They are a sweet background singer, piping up at the chorus but still allowing the soft rice and salty nuggets to be the rockstars. If you are looking for a more pronounced leek flavor try this caramelized leek risotto recipe.

Cream of Leek Soup Recipe

katerina — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:54:45 +0000

How many cream based soups have you eaten which are so thick and congealed you could leave your spoon on the surface without it falling through? Certainly enough that cream based soups are out of vogue and labeled as unhealthy.

Why not try making it the proper way? This recipe, adapted from my culinary school knowledge, for cream of leek soup is light enough to eat on a diet. You see, Cream soups are called such because of their consistency – not the added cream. Try leaving out the cream entirely and you will be surprised how naturally creamy the leeks make the soup. A good stock will make all the difference in this recipe, so reach into the back of your freezer and pull out that bag of frozen chicken stock you have been hoarding. Today is the day.

Creamy Baked Leeks Recipe

katerina — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:01:14 +0000

In my favourite leek recipes, leeks sweat slowly in butter until they sweeten and melt. Knowing that, I decided to bake the creamy leeks together with some crunchy croutons for texture and a little cream to make them extra tender.

If you don’t want to make croutons ahead of time you can probably substitute stale bread. I was also thinking that even just topping the leeks with toasted breadcrumbs would be lovely. These baked leeks also reheat well the next day.

Creamy Baked Leeks
(Serves 3-4)

2 cups croutons
2 large leeks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 tablespoon cream

Preheat oven to 375F. Chop all dark green away from leeks and cut into 1 cm rounds. Rinse well in water. If they are very dirty, soak in cold water and then drain. In a heavy dutch casserole or oven safe pot heat olive oil to medium low. Add leeks, thyme, butter and a heavy pinch of salt. Turn to medium and cover, stirring regularly. The leeks, should sweat, sweeten and soften, it will take about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 of the parmesan and the cream. There should still be some liquid, if there isn’t add a splash of water. Stir in croutons and sprinkle over remaining Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned on top. Serve hot.

Caramelized Leek Risotto Recipe

katerina — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:31:00 +0000

The flavour of caramelized leeks is sweet, nutty and subtle. After trying caramelized leeks a few weeks ago them I knew there was a risotto with caramelized leeks in my future.
There aren’t that many leek recipes out there, but I can’t believe I have waited this long to make a leek risotto. When I tasted I was actually excited by how good it was, I think it is officially my new favorite.

If you are looking for a subtler leek flavour, but love bacon, then try this leek risotto with pancetta. It is not vegetarian friendly, but boy is it good.

Braised Pork with Caramelized Leeks and Apple Cider Recipe

katerina — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:56:00 +0000

I love anything and everything that is braised. To me braising means two things: comfort food and low effort. The timing for stews and braises is very forgiving if you are entertaining or having a laid back afternoon, plus it always makes the house smell heavenly.

This pork roast gets it’s flavour from first searing the pork then caramelizing onions and leeks in the fat and finally cooking it for hours with apple cider and thyme. The pork roast worked really nicely with risotto and was even better the next day.

Braised Pork with Caramelized Leeks and Apple Cider
Adapted from
this Epicurious recipe
(serves 6-8)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 4-5lb pork roast (I used a boneless pork butt)
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise then into 1/4″ slices
1 large leek, cut into 1/4″ slices, well washed
fresh thyme sprigs
3/4 cup apple cider

Preheat oven to 325F. Using a sharp knife score fat and any skin in a checker board pattern. Make slits in the meat and insert the garlic slivers in. Rub with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat oil to medium in a dutch oven add pork and brown on all sides. Remove pork to a plate and add onion and leeks. Saute until just starting to brown, add a big pinch of salt and continue until a light golden brown. Add cider, thyme and then pork back to the pan. Cover and bake for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Remove pork from sauce and simmer until reduced by half.

You can make this recipe ahead of time, and if you do it you will have the opportunity to skim the fat from the sauce. Separate the sauce from the meat and refrigerate. Once cooled you should be able to skim the fat from the top. Reheat sauce and pork together gently.

Shrimp and White Wine Pasta Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes and Leeks Recipe

katerina — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Shrimp with white wine and garlic is always a popular combination, but when you add in the local tomatoes and baby leeks it brings a beautiful sweetness to this classic dish. With the inspiration available at the farmers market this time of year it is natural to me to make things which are as fresh and simple as this pasta.

I used local Spot Prawns (frozen) to make this, but any form of shrimp or prawn would be delicious, of course the serving size and number of shrimps required will vary based on the kind you choose. Because this recipe uses a small amount of fresh tomatoes you will find that the sauce is the white wine, butter and leeks rather then a traditional tomato sauce. You can use any pasta you want, I used what was in the cupboard which was a rotini. I think a linguine would be lovely with this sauce. Also check out this Shrimp in White Wine and Garlic Recipe.