Lady Claire Macdonald is a fan of the humble leek and serves up two recipes, hot and cold, for a tasty lunch.
Leeks are available 12 months of the year now, but they are, by nature, a winter vegetable. And they are invaluable.
Leeks cook much more quickly than their allium counterpart onions, and I learned many years ago that when trimmed, finely sliced and cooked over a moderate heat, so as not to allow a change of colour, they taste even better than if thickly sliced and cooked in chunks.
Leeks are as good cooked and cooled as when eaten hot. Leeks are a main ingredient in cock-a-leekie soup and are delicious in a creamy white – bechamel – sauce and served with any roast meat. Leeks are as good with fish and shellfish as they are with meat and game.
They also combine extremely well with mushrooms, bacon, eggs and cheese. And they can form the main player in many a vegetarian dish. Leeks are invaluable to the cook. And I can testify to that statement!
My first recipe is for a cheese pastry tart containing leeks, and my second is for leeks in a cold dish – but served at room temperature, not straight from
the fridge.
For more recipes from Lady Claire Macdonald, please see our recipe page here.
Leek and cheese tart
(Serves 4-6 as a main course)
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 175g plain flour
- 75g butter, hard from the fridge and cut into small bits
- 75g strong grated cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon English or Dijon mustard
For the filling:
- 2-3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 4 medium large leeks, each trimmed at either end and of any outer leaves needing removed. Then sliced finely, the thickness of a pound coin
- 1 tsp salt
- 15 grinds of pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten well with 2 yolks
- 300mls single cream
Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Make the pastry by putting the ingredients into a food processor. Whiz to fine crumbs and press these firmly over the base and up the sides of a flan dish measuring 20cms in diameter.
- Put the dish into the fridge for at least an hour, before baking straight for 15-20 mins. The sides will have slipped down towards the base.
- With a metal spoon scrape them back into place and bake until the cheese pastry is lightly coloured and just coming in from the sides of the dish. Allow to cool.
- For the filling, in a wide saute pan and over moderate temperature, heat the oil and add the finely sliced leeks.
- Cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or a bit longer – the leeks will collapse in amount as they soften. They must be thoroughly soft.
- During their cooking time, season them with the salt and pepper.
- When you have very soft cooked leeks, spoon them in an even surface over the cooled cheese pastry.
- In a bowl, mix the eggs, yolks and cream thoroughly. Pour this over the leeks, and bake at the same temperature as for cooking the pastry.
- The creamy egg filling needs to set to a gentle wobble when you shake the dish, and the centre is the last part to set. This takes about 30 mins, but ovens vary so be prepared to allow a bit longer.
- Serve warm, with a mixed salad dressed with mustard vinaigrette.
Leeks with walnut vinaigrette
(Serves 6)
Ingredients
- 12 leeks, as similar in size as possible, each trimmed at either end and of any outer leaves needing removed. Slice each leek into 3, and slice each in half lengthways.
- 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, or rapeseed oil if you prefer
- 75g/3oz walnuts, bashed to small bits – I use the end of my rolling pin
- 1 tsp salt
- 15 grinds of black pepper
- 1 fat clove of garlic, skinned and very finely chopped
- Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Approx 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Method
- Put a layer of baking parchment on to a baking tray, and put the halved leeks in a single layer on the parchment. Cover tightly with a second sheet of baking parchment, and bake in a moderate heat till the leeks are very soft, about 35 mins.
- While the leeks are baking, make the vinaigrette – you want it all ready to mix into the hot leeks, which then absorb the flavours as they cool.
- Heat the oil in a saute or frying pan. Add the walnuts and salt and pepper. Over moderately high heat cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the walnuts from burning. Halfway through cooking, add the
very finely chopped garlic. - Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon rind and juice, and the finely chopped parsley.
- When the leeks are soft, take them from the oven, spoon them into a serving dish and immediately spoon the walnut dressing over and through the cooked leeks. Cool. Serve with warm bread rolls or scones, and butter.
- This dish can and does form a delicious winter salad to accompany a hot or cold meat or chicken, or it can be a course in its own right.
