Cooking With Leeks

I just received an email from Carolyn who asked, “Can I use leeks interchangeably with onions in vegetable soup? I never use leeks. I heard they get slimey. thanks, carol”

My response to Carol is yes you can. Leeks are in the same family as onions and in my humble opinion they are one of the most underrated vegetables readily available. I love leeks and the flavor they add to a dish. In fact, whatever you are making might taste even better than with onions.

Be sure to use only the white and light green parts of the leek. They can be very sandy, so cut off the root end and the tough dark green parts, slice them right down the center longways and then into little half moons.

Break all the layers apart and dunk and swish into cold, deep water in a clean sink. The sand will fall to the bottom of the sink and you will be left with clean leeks. It has not been my experience that leeks get slimy, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that.

Here are a few recipes posted on my site that use leeks:

Beef Stew

Pan Roasted Veal Chops

Sweet Potato Vichyssoise