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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
Aside from a brief consumption uptick a few years ago when the magic leek soup from the book about why French women don’t get fat appeared on a television show about somebody named Emily who was in Paris, Americans don’t eat many leeks. We love all other things Allium, from garlic to shallots to onions to chives, but haven’t fully embraced what looks like a scallion on steroids.
Leeks share a long culinary history with the other members of the onion family, with mentions going back to the ancient Romans and Egyptians. The famously food-loving French call them asperges du pauvre, the poor man’s asparagus, a hint about how tasty leeks can be. The trick is to get them out of the soup pot.
Like their oniony cousins, leeks get sweeter the longer they cook. Gently braised for more than an hour, they become soft, jammy, and incredibly tasty. Add some contrasting crunch with bread crumbs and the sharp saltiness of pecorino romano, and they get even more delicious.
Recipe
2-4 leeks, cleaned and trimmed*
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
½ cup bread crumbs
2–3 ounces pecorino romano cheese, grated
*Growers mound dirt around leeks to keep the lower parts white, so there’s often bits of soil between the leek’s layers. To clean them, remove one or two of the outer layers, then keep the root end intact and split lengthwise, then trim the darker and tougher green portion (look at the underside of the leaves and you can see where they change texture). Pull back the layers from the top and rinse under running water to remove any dirt
Arrange the split leeks in a wide pan or Dutch oven and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, wine, and salt. Bring to gentle boil, cover, and simmer for about 90 minutes, adding more wine or water if needed. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let the liquid reduce until it’s almost gone.
For a more dramatic presentation, leave the leeks whole; for ease of serving and eating, cut them into 1- or 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a shallow baking dish or skillet.
Mix the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and the pecorino in a small bowl, then spoon this over the leeks. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Serve warm.
