Tips and Recipes
for Brookfield Farm Crops

  
   
 
 
Leek (allium porrum)

Native to the Mediterranean area, leeks may have originated in Egypt where they were cultivated and worshipped: "... where onions are adored, and leeks are gods..." Leeks have been a cooking staple in Europe for centuries. France and Wales have particularly glorified the leek in both their lore and cooking.
image of leek		  
 


Recipes:

Potato Leek Soup
6 cups water
5 potatoes
4 tsp butter
2 leeks
fresh thyme
basil (to taste)
1 cup cream
1/4 cup parsley.

Melt butter in a stock pot. Slice leeks and sauté 5 minutes, add potatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of stock and cook further (25 min.) until potatoes are tender. Puree, then return to stockpot and add the rest of stock, cream and herbs. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.


Leek and Tomato Topping (from: Rolling Prairie Cookbook)
1/3 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 leeks
1 tbsp red wine
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/2 tsp salt & pepper

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and leeks, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes until leeks are tender. Remove from heat. Toss in the basil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. For a wonderfully flavorful pizza spread topping directly on crust, top with smoked Provolone and freshly grated parmesan. Bake until golden. This topping can also be used with pasta or as a lasagna filling.





Storage Tips:

  • Refrigerate leeks unwashed and dry with roots attached for up to two weeks. Wrap lightly in plastic to avoid aroma spreading to other foods.

  • For longer term storage, leeks can be buried in moist sand and kept in a cool but not freezing location for part of the winter.