Tomorrow is Leek Day!

Posted by E-George on February 29, 2008

The leek is the symbol of St. David, the patron saint of Wales.  And March 1 is St. David’s Day all across Wales.  You knew that, right?  Of course you did.  If ever I become a patron saint of something, I wouldn’t mind my symbol being a very mild member of the onion family.  Although, given my choice, I’d prefer to be the patron saint of macaroni & cheese.

But, I digress.  To get your leek creativity into gear, look through the many Cooking Light leek recipes.  Seems like it’s one of those unique and versatile vegetables that doesn’t get much action on the cuisine front.  One of my favorite applications is the production of faux whipped potatoes (via my darling mother):

1 head of cauliflower trimmed, cleaned, stemmed, and broken into pieces

1 bunch of leeks (usually 3)

Clean and trim the leeks thoroughly as they like to hide a lot of dirt and nasty yaggas inside all those lovely leek layers.  Chop the leek off right below the tough green portion. In fact, try to keep as much of the green out as possible, otherwise you’re end product will be an odd, minty-green color and not at all potato representative.  Put the leeks and cauliflower into a single pot and boil everything until the cauliflower is cooked thoroughly.  Drain everything.  Sometimes I’ll put the drained vegetables back in the empty pot over some medium heat to burn off excess moisture locked into the leeks and cauliflower.  But, that’s up to you.  If you’re patient (which I’m often not) you can really burn off the moisture and make a sturdy product in the end.  Because I’m NOT patient, mine sometimes come out a little more viscous.

In a food processor add the drained leeks & cauliflower.  Add 3-4 TBSP of cubed butter and puree everything together.  Sometimes I’ll add heavy cream or sour cream to give it that great whipped potato taste.  Salt & pepper to taste.   Make sure you puree thoroughly.  Sometimes it’s a rude distraction to the illusion to suddenly be confronted with a mutilated cauliflower nob in the middle of what you’re pretending are potatoes. 

 So, enjoy St. David’s Day tomorrow, even none of us live in Wales.  None of us live in Ireland either, and yet we all pander to St. Patrick’s Day.

Filed Under: How To - Comments: Be the First to Comment



top