Leeks for the Kitchenally Uneducated

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red sea

Fri, May 09 2008, 8:43 am

I bought leeks to use in soup, so what am I supposed to do with them? What exactly goes into the soup?

Clarissa

Fri, May 09 2008, 8:46 am

Leeks are a lot of work, but they're worth it. Cut off the woody, dark green parts. There are a lot of them. Inside, you'll find the pale green and white parts, which are the tender parts you'll be using. Leeks are really dirty and need to be cleaned well. What I do is chop up the good parts (discarding the tough parts, which will actually be about 2/3 or more of the leek) and put them in a big bowl of water. Then I stir them around a bit and take them out with a slotted spoon, carefully so as not to move around the dirt that's come out. There will be a lot of dirt in the bottom of the bowl. I transfer them to another bowl, fill it with water and repeat moving them back and forth until there is no dirt in the bottom of the bowl. I know, it's a lot of work, but nothing ruins a soup or whatever more than finding some gritty dirt or sand.

Trust me, they're well worth the effort.

ChossidMom

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:02 am

So, now, how about a nice leek soup recipe?

justanothermother

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:15 am

How to clean

Cut off the bottom hairy part
Cut off the dark green part right below where it starts to split apart.
Take the light green part and slice it lengthwise down the middle
Discard the outer layer
Wash under fast running water, piece by piece, rubbing off the dirt and looking for bugs

Yummy Recipe

1 lg vidalia onion, cut in chunks
2 leeks cut in 1" pieces
Cover with chicken stock* and simmer till soft
Puree
Add 4-6 potatoes, cubed
Chicken stock to cover
Boil till potatoes are soft
Break apart with back of spoon
Season to taste
Add more water or soy milk to get the consistency you like.

*I use Osem chicken soup mix and water.

Clarissa

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:19 am

Your cleaning method sounds much easier than mine. I got mine from a cookbook and have done it ever since, but it's a pain.

justanothermother

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:21 am

Sounds like it.

Clarissa

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:23 am

justanothermother wrote:

Sounds like it.

It's a breeze compared to my flour-sifting technique, which I got from Rose Levy Berenbaum's book, The Cake Bible. I seem to get into these tedious, time-consuming techniques.

justanothermother

Fri, May 09 2008, 9:25 am

I've never sifted flour in my life.

Tamiri

Fri, May 09 2008, 10:31 am

justanothermother wrote:

I've never sifted flour in my life.

I think that for kosher-reasons, you are supposed to (little bugs, anyone?). Or, is that just in Israel?

Clarissa

Fri, May 09 2008, 10:32 am

justanothermother wrote:

I've never sifted flour in my life.

I'm shocked and appalled. I used to double-sift, to make sure it was super-fine. I've given that up, of course.

No wonder I never have time to get anything accomplished around my house, what with the leek-rinsing and flour-sifting.

Mimisinger

Fri, May 09 2008, 10:33 am

Just in Israel Tamiri. When I came back from Israel, it was so nice not to have to sit there with that sifter over a bag (which inevitably got everywhere) and it had such small holes! You couldn't even see it.

red sea

Fri, May 09 2008, 10:34 am

ok, I used the easy method, the soup is on the fire, thanks.

justanothermother

Fri, May 09 2008, 10:41 am

red sea wrote:

ok, I used the easy method, the soup is on the fire, thanks.

How did your soup catch on fire?

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