Braised Whole Leeks (turkey, chicken, pepper, onions)

[SunGrins]

I love leeks and always have some on hand. I use them in a lot of dishes. But I always just used the white part. I got used to discarding the green tops as they are never called for in recipes and I never considered them as edible. Leeks have to be rinsed to remove any grit and the outer two layers usually are discarded. It always seemed odd that we paid for the whole leek and threw half away. I saw a slow cooker recipe that used leek leaves so I decided to try this. The tops are quite good and have a mild flavor in this way….

I braised two chopped green onions in a half stick of butter seasoned with salt, pepper, basil, tarragon, and rosemary. Then added leek tops sliced on a slant and the white bulb cut in about 3/4 inch chunks. Simmered that until soft. The bulbs will begin to separate into rings. I then added two sliced fresh mushrooms to the skillet and let them soften in the butter. Next I mixed in about four slices of mesquite smoked turkey (chopped), and a half cup of white wine (l used Portuguese Vinho Verde). After simmering a couple minutes, I added a dash of balsamic vinegar and let it simmer ten minutes or so.

It was delicious— buttery and mild. There is no strong onion presence. The turkey was nicely mingled with the leeks and mushrooms. I suspect that smoked ham would work. Maybe bacon. I avoid red meat but maybe smoked or seasoned chicken would work. It was good as is but I can see using the mixture, with a little cheese, in an omelette.

[harry chickpea]

The big question - was the green part stringy?

[Lodestar]

In the Yucatan people eat a lot more onions and their relatives as a side dish vegetable than we do in the Midwest. I love them, too.

One of my favorites is cebollitas asada, grilled green onions. What we call spring onions. Sometimes I've thought they may be Egyptian onions.

They eat them larger than we do here and grill them whole. I eat up to the part that's totally green as it tends to get, um, flabby past there.

[SunGrins]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

The big question - was the green part stringy?

I would consider it fibrous but not stringy. I only used about 3-4 inches of green leaves.

I had some leftovers and put it in an omelet with gorgonzola and it was great.