Recipe: Leeks Vinaigrette

Recipe Source: Worthington, Diane Rossen.  Williams-Sonoma: French.  Simon & Schuster, New York, 2003 p. 45

I remember the first time I ever ate a leek.  My French teacher sent us all home with this leek and potato soup recipe intended to whet an appetite for French food in her teenaged charges.  I sought - and got - permission from my mother to try to make it.  This was a rare occurrence.  It was wasted.  The soup was awful, we ordered a pizza and I don't think I ever tried to cook in my parents' house again.  I no longer have the recipe, having torched it in order to prevent its being used for evil, but I suspect that it was supposed to be pureed.  We had no blender, no stick blender, no food processor, no food mill.  That probably isn't the whole reason that the soup was lousy, and at this kind of distance it's hard to remember. 

The experience left me kind of reluctant to eat leeks for a good long time - in fact, until I got into Persian food many, many years later.  Now, just about the only good thing I can say about the winter is that leeks are in season.  I haven't tried to make the leek and potato soup monstrosity again, but I've found lots and lots of leek recipes that I enjoy. 

I honestly didn't make a lot of changes to this recipe.  I used duck stock instead of chicken stock, because I had it on hand.  Also, I used a horseradish mustard instead of Dijon, which makes it probably a little less French, but whatever.  This was a tasty side dish and we thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Leeks Vinaigrette (serves 4; $1.71/serving)

8 leeks, roots trimmed but intact, well cleaned

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups duck stock

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons horseradish mustard

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment:

• Large saute pan or frying pan with a lid
• Tongs
• Plate

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the frying pan over medium high heat.
2. Add the leeks - as many as you can fit in one layer.  Saute, using the tongs to turn them occasionally.  When they become tender and browned on the cut side, evacuate them to the plate and cook the remaining leeks.  (The original recipe called for the leeks to all be cooked at once, but I don't have a frying pan that big and I don't know anyone who does.)
3. Return the leeks to the pan.  Add the stock and parsley and bring to a simmer. 
4. Cover and cook until the leeks are tender - no more than 10 minutes.
5. Transfer the leeks to a serving platter.
6. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan along with the lemon juice and mustard. 
7. Whisk to combine.  Season with kosher salt and grains of paradise to taste.
8. Pour the vinaigrette that contains no vinegar over the leeks and serve. 

Comments

[Sophie]

This dish looks superb! yum yum!

[Sophie]

This dish looks superb, yum yum!

[Navita]

thanks for stopping by my place..hope i will see u more often.:)

[Daily Spud]

Ah, leek and potato soup can be very good (I must post a recipe for one sometime...) - but I can so understand how a bad experience like that would put you off! Those leeks look great btw :)

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

This is a lovely preparation for leeks and your picture is beautiful!

[Peter]

This looks elegant and braised leeks like these are wonderful!

[Joie de vivre]

I'm laughing over the "evil" recipe. This one looks the opposite of evil...it is positively angelic. :)

[[eatingclub] vancouver]

Leeks are my favourite of all the alliums and glad to hear that you got over that experience with the soup. This looks delicious and it would be perfect with a nice steak.