How to Clean Leeks – WellPlated.com

Let’s dive right in How to clean leeks! This versatile allium is mild and delicious, but its many layers can hide dirt and sand. Learn to remove it so you can cook with leeks more often!

The important things first.

What Are Leek?

Leeks are Allium, a species of plant that includes garlic, chives, shallots, and onions.

Think of them as a carefree, mild member of the onion family.

• Leeks taste similar to shallots, have a sweet, mild onion flavor, and can be used in a similar way.
• Leeks are good for building up soup bases like potato and leek soup, stir-fries and pasta, scrambled into eggs or added to Easy Quiche, or can be served roasted or grilled.

How to use leeks

Leeks are versatile and add great flavor.

Once you know what they are and how to make them, I know you’ll start picking them up from the grocery store on a regular basis!

Which part of the leek do you use?

• The white and light green parts of the leek are used for eating.
• The dark green leaves are not eaten on their own as they are chewy, but they can be used to flavor broths.
• The lowest root end of the leek is cut off and not eaten.

Do you wash leeks after cutting?

Leeks are washed beforehand And after cutting.

• Dirt and sand get between all layers of leeks.
• Rinse at the beginning to remove the dirt from the outside.
• Rinse the leeks again after you cut them so you really get better at getting between the layers.

How to clean leeks

The following tutorial photos show you exactly how to clean leeks using two different methods:

• Clean the leeks completely sliced. This method works well if you want to sauté the leeks, e.g. B. for soups.
• Clean all the leeks. This method works well for roasting and grilling when the leeks don’t need further chopping.

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Method 1: Clean chopped leeks

1. Rinse the leek. cut off roots. The root ends of a leek should be discarded.

2. Cut or reserve dark leafy greens that you don’t plan to use.

3. Halve the leek lengthways.

4. Slice each half crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

5. Place chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water. Stir with your hands to remove dirt and grit that was trapped between coats.

6. Hollow out the clean leeks with a slotted spoon or drain with a sieve. Dry completely with a salad spinner, then place in an empty bowl. Continue using it for your recipe!

Method 2: Clean whole leeks

1. Cut a slit straight through the green parts of the leeks. Insert the tip of a knife about 1/4 inch below the bottom opening of the dark green part and slice down to the bottom of the green leaves, leaving the white part of the leek uncut.

2. Fan the leeks and rinse thoroughly, running your fingers and the water between each layer. Cut off the leafy ends (can be reserved for the broth).

3. Cut off the filamentous roots and discard them. Get ready to roast, boil or sauté and ENJOY!

How to enjoy leeks

Leeks taste great on their own as well as in a variety of dishes. When cooked, they become softer and milder.

• Roasted. Drizzle all of the leeks with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast the leeks at 425 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes until caramelized, turning halfway through.
• Sautéed. To sear, cook chopped leeks in melted butter in a skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes; season to taste.
• Grilled. To grill leeks, puree whole leeks with olive oil and place directly on the grill or in a grill basket; season to taste.
• In soup. Leeks are often sliced ​​and used in soups and stews. Try this creamy vegan potato and leek soup and the spring-like cream of asparagus soup.
• For eggs. Leeks are a classic addition to omelets and quiche, like spinach quiche.
• In Curries and stir-fries. You can swap out leeks for onion in any skillet or curry for a softer onion flavor. Thai chicken curry is wonderful with leeks.
• With noodles. As with stir-fries, the leeks add a nice, subtle onion flavor to pasta. You could swap leeks for garlic shrimp pasta and penne alla vodka.

Recommended tools to make this recipe

Welcome to the wonderful world of leeks. They are so happy to be in your life right now and I have no doubt they will become one of your favorite vegetables!