Leeks-
Leeks have dark green tops that are usually removed because they are tough, but save them and add them to your stock. The tender white bottoms are the more usable section of the vegetable. Leeks are in the onion family and add a mild sweet onion flavor.
Leeks are great in soup and stews, they can be grilled, baked, boiled, steamed, or sautéed. They are very versatile and add a great amount of flavor. Leeks are sweeter than onions.
** Leeks need to be cleaned well, they often contain a ton of dirt that you may not even see. Try slicing them and peeling back the layers to clean them completely.
Refrigerate your leeks, wrap them loosely in plastic and place them in the veggie drawer. Leeks can last a week or more.
Leeks are packed with vitamin K, A, C, E, fiber, folate, and several important minerals as well.
This is a simple and very flexible recipe. Leeks can be easily subbed for garlic scapes, shallots, or onion. This soup has a buttery flavor that develops even more if reheated the next day. The stock is quite flexible as well (I made tonight’s batch with ham hock liquid). It’s creamy and sweet buttery qualities would lend themselves to all kinds of toppings, such as tender lobster or crab. Thyme also works as a garnish. Make it your own and enjoy!
I wish I could take credit for this one, but it’s adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s clean eating recipe collection called “It’s All Good”. Guess what? She’s right! This buttery rich soup is full of flavor and none of the bad stuff. It’s also a great use for all that slow cooker veggie broth we’ve been making from the veggie scraps!
It’s also a very flexible recipe ingredient-wise. No leeks? No problem! No chard? Just about any other leafy green will do! Canned or prepped dried beans work here. Make this one your own and enjoy!
This will take a good 6 hours to cook, so carve out an afternoon to prepare this dish.
