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Leeks are one of the most valuable vegetable crops. This product is popular in cooking due to its delicate taste, low calorie content (33 kcal per 100 g) and high nutritional value.
You can use this vegetable in many different leek recipes, the main thing is to know the rules of slicing and choose the right cooking technology.
What are leeks?
Leek is a biennial herbaceous plant of the Onion family. Since ancient times, it has been one of the most important vegetable plants in Egypt. Farmers also cultivated it in ancient times in Rome and Greece.
In the Middle Ages, leeks spread throughout Europe. Currently, it is a very popular vegetable crop, characterized by a high content of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron. It is worth noting the special place of leeks in cooking. It tastes more delicate than onions and emits a delicate aroma.
Chefs advise using not only the edible white stem, but also coarser green leaves for cooking soups. In addition, you can put leek feathers in cold appetizers, salads, and eat as an independent dish. It also harmonizes well and sets off the taste of fresh vegetables.
Is leek healthy?
Leek is useful for the human body due to its rich vitamin and mineral composition.
It has a stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal tract, improves digestion, eliminates dysbiosis, but at the same time irritates the walls of the stomach.
The vegetable contains iron, which helps the synthesis of hemoglobin, prevents the development of iron deficiency anemia, and varicose veins. It also helps to remove the unprocessed part of food and toxins from the body.
Experts recommend adding such a vegetable to food in order to fill the body with nutrients.
Is leek good for weight loss?
Leeks can also easily help you lose weight. The product contains a lot of valuable components, including protein, essential oils, phytoncides, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, and organic acids.
At the same time, 100 g contains only 33 kcal. The combination of all these factors makes leeks effective at losing weight. It also normalizes and accelerates metabolism, removing excess fluid from the body and removing swelling.
What part of a leek do you cook and eat?
Before you start slicing leeks, try to figure out which part is edible. Professional chefs advise using the green part for cooking leek soup to give it a beautiful greenish hue.
Also, leek greens are suitable for adding to side dishes and casseroles. It will add juiciness, aroma, and freshness to your meals. However, most often cooks include the white part (or stem) of leek in recipes.
If you cut such a leek lengthwise, you will get neat leaves in which you can wrap minced meat.
What is the best way to use leeks?
You can use leek bulbs with a bleached stem in raw, boiled (stewed) form as a side dish for meat and fish dishes, as well as as a seasoning for soups. In some cases, such a vegetable is good for making salads and sauces.
Professional chefs advise you to use leeks in the following dishes first of all:
- Leek creamy soup with sour cream. This is a great recipe for lovers of delicate dishes. Just finely chop the leek, dip it in boiling broth or salted water. Add potatoes, sour cream and cook for 10 minutes.
- Leek pancakes. For this recipe you will need potatoes, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, parsley and black pepper. Put out the leeks and other ingredients with a small amount of fat in a deep dish under the lid. Form pancakes and fry!
- Omelet with leeks. Fry the peeled, finely chopped leeks in a large bowl under a lid. Remove from heat, let cool. Add the eggs beaten with milk, and pour into a richly greased baking sheet. Eat this wonderful dish hot, pre-sprinkled with grated cheese and chopped parsley.
How to cut leeks properly?
Before you start cooking leeks, learn how to peel and slice them properly. It is necessary to wash the leeks as thoroughly as possible to get rid of all traces of contamination.
Follow these rules:
- Rinse the white part of the onion with running water.
- Cut the greenish part. It often contains dirt and particles of earth.
Cleansing leeks also involves removing those parts of the plant that are not usually used in cooking. The following algorithm will help you:
- Place the leeks on a cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, remove the root system, while making an indentation one finger wide.
- Get rid of the tops. You can chop the peeled leek in two ways: rings or thin slices.
How To Cook a Leek in pan
The easiest way to cook leeks is to fry them in a frying pan. For such a technology of preparation, you will need:
- leek – 1 bunch
- butter – 1 tablespoon
- chopped ginger – 3 tablespoons
- crushed garlic – 1/2 clove
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Chop the leek. To do this, cut the roots from the bottom of the leek and remove the tops where it begins to turn green.
- Rinse the leeks thoroughly under cool running water.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet.
- Put the chopped leeks in the hot oil and fry. So you will get tasty buttered leeks!
How to cook leeks in soup
Another popular option for preparing leeks is soup. To do this, prepare the following ingredients:
- leek – 2-3 pcs
- onion – 1 pc
- water – 250 ml
- cheese – 60-70 g
- lard –50-60 g
- cream – 50 ml
- olive oil -10 ml
- bread – 2 pieces
- salt and pepper – to taste
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Peel the red onion from the husk and chop it with thin feathers or half rings.
- Cut the leeks into thin rings.
- Cut the bacon or lard into small cubes and put it in a saucepan.
- Put it on the fire, and when the fat is melted out of it, remove the bacon and pour in a little olive oil.
- Fry the onion until golden brown.
- Pour in water, and cook on medium high heat for about half an hour.
- Season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Pour into a clay pot, put a couple of slices of stale white bread on top (it is better to use a baguette).
- Cover it with grated cheese and pour cream over it. You can add the remaining pork rinds.
- Put the dish in the preheated oven for ten minutes.
How to steam leeks
Steamed leeks are a great dish for lovers of healthy meals. The technology of preparation is simple:
- Rinse the leeks under cold running water and peel.
- Cut the lower green feathers of the onion, and cut the remaining light part into 5-6 cm cubes entirely.
- Put the vegetables in a steamer and cook for 15-20 minutes for a couple.
- Add butter, salt and pepper to taste.
How to cook leeks in microwave
The fastest way to cook leeks is to use a microwave oven. To do this, you will need the following ingredients:
- leek — 4 pieces
- walnuts — 3 tablespoons
- garlic — 2 cloves
- parsley – to taste
- salt and pepper – to taste
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Take the unpeeled leek, put it in a microwave container. Bake for 9 minutes at maximum power.
- Prepare the sauce: mix chopped walnuts, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and 45 ml of water. Mix well.
- Remove the finished leek from the microwave oven, peel it. Pour the sauce over the vegetables.
How long to cook leeks
To properly cook leeks, you need to know a clear time of preparation. It is different for each cooking technology. If you choose boiling, then 10 minutes will be enough.
When frying, you will get cooked leeks after 5-6 minutes on medium heat. For stewing sliced leeks, the cooking time is reduced – only 3-4 minutes.
To speed up the cooking process, professional chefs recommend slice the leeks into small pieces.
This can be useful for preparing mashed potatoes or potato leek soup. In such recipes, vegetables boil too fast and lose their nutritional properties.
The healthiest recipe for leeks
If you want to eat leeks with health benefits, pay attention to this recipe – egg salad with leeks! Just prepare the following ingredients:
- boiled eggs — 4 pieces
- radish — 3-4 pieces
- leek — 1/2 piece
- apple — 1 piece (medium size)
- capers — 1-2 tablespoons
- salt — 2 pinches
- ground black pepper — 1 pinch
- lemon juice — 1 teaspoon
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Boil eggs, peel and cut into small pieces.
- Chop the capers and radishes and add to the eggs.
- Finely chop the dark green ends of the leek. Cut the light green parts of the leek in half lengthwise.
- Peel and core the apple, cut into cubes and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix well.
Open pie with cheese and leek recipe
If you want to add the leeks to some unusual recipe, then make an open pie. For it you will need the following ingredients:
- wheat flour – 1.5 cups
- leek – 100 grams
- cheese – 100 grams
- butter – 100 grams
- milk – 130 ml
- egg – 2 pieces
- salt and pepper – to taste
Step-by-step technology of preparation:
- Pour the flour into a small bowl, add salt and sliced butter. Stir the mass until smooth.
- Add 6-7 tablespoons of water to the resulting dough and roll out a thin layer on a floured surface.
- Place the dough in a fireproof dish. Cut off the excess dough at the edges.
- Start making the filling: clean leeks and chop them in bite sized pieces. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and pass the leeks for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a baking sheet with the dough there and lay out the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
So you will get a great dish with oniony flavor and wonderful aroma!
Simple buttered leeks recipe
Many chefs call this dish one of their favorite leek recipes. For it, you will need only green onions, dark green parts of leeks, butter, and sea salt.
The cooking technology is also simple: just chop the leeks and green onions. Fill everything with cool water and leave for 20 minutes. In a large frying pan or saucepan over medium low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
Transfer the leeks and green onions to a pan skillet and fry for 5-7 minutes. So you will get a great side dish or salad dressing.
What do you eat with leeks?
Leek goes well with all kinds of meat, suitable for fish. You can combine it with various vegetables and mushrooms. Also, many chefs like to add leeks to fillings with eggs, spinach and Brussels sprouts.
In addition, you can always add this vegetable to soups and different salads. An excellent option is to serve green onions with chicken broth and crackers.
Storage rules
Leek is one of the most valuable vegetables that are grown all over the world. However, during storage, in order not to wonder how much a nutrient will remain in contact with cold air, study the rules for storing leeks.
Store it in a cellar or refrigerator at a temperature of -10 to +1 °C and a humidity of 80% for 5-6 months. Storage at room temperature of 21-23 ° C is allowed for 2-3 days.
Pay special attention to pre-preparation: sort the leek into an airtight container, removing the spoiled leaves. To simplify the washing, use a special slotted spoon.
Main tips
To cook leeks quickly, pay attention to the tips from professional chefs. Among them:
- Try to chop the leek finely so that the excess juice comes out.
- Use a sharp knife that can easily cut the fibrous leek.
- If you decide to cook sauteed leeks, use butter, it best reveals the taste of the vegetable.
- Always rinse the leek well from the inside to remove sand and dirt stuck between the leaves.
- Do not use seasonings when cooking leeks. This vegetable itself is very spicy and contains a lot of acids. Extra seasonings and herbs only worsens the taste of the product.
- If you decide to cook leek soup, pre-fry the vegetable in butter so that the fibers soften.
Summary
Leeks are one of the most versatile vegetables. You can use them raw, fried and stewed. You can also add such a product to soups, salads and side dishes.
With any technology of preparation, you must first of all properly rinse and slice such a product. Then the simplest thing remains – to choose the time of preparation, which depends on the chosen cooking technology.
Do not take leeks as a regular addition to some dish. With proper preparation, you can safely eat this product as an independent meal.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, try something new, and surprise your loved ones with interesting leek recipes!