LOVELY LEEKS

NZ Gardener readers from all over the country share their favourite recipes for using this flavourful allium.

PREPPING LEEKS

Grit and dirt get caught in leeks’ layers so it’s important to wash them well before cooking: Cut off the root and the coarse dark green tops – use these in stock. Cut the leek in half lengthways – if it’s big, cut in half again lengthways. Wash well under cold running water, making sure to separate the inner layers to remove all soil.

CREAMED LEEKS

This is the ultimate side for a roast dinner in winter.

Clean and chop your leeks, using about half to 1 leek per person. Add some butter and oil to a pan over a low-medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the leeks. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally – you want them to slowly break down and soften without browning. Season well with sea salt and ground pepper. Stir through enough cream to achieve your desired creaminess and cook for another 3-4 minutes. You can jazz it up with garlic, thyme, parsley, bacon and/or cheese.

LEEK & CHEESE SAUSAGES

Far North gardener COLIN UNKOVICH makes the most of his property with a vege patch, orchard and two greenhouses. This recipe is a family favourite from his mum.

Ingredients • 25g butter • 120g leeks, thinly sliced • 150g breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (optional) • 150g finely grated cheddar cheese • 2 eggs, separated • 1 teaspoon mustard (optional) • ½ teaspoon salt

• black pepper • sunflower oil

Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the leek gently for 8-10 minutes or until soft but not coloured.

Put 100g of the breadcrumbs, the parsley, thyme and cheese in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the mustard, salt and pepper.

Remove the frying pan from the heat and tip the leeks into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk mixture and mix together until well combined. Divide the leek mixture into eight portions and roll into sausage shapes. Place the sausages onto a lined tray with cling film over them.

Whisk the egg whites lightly in a bowl with a large metal whisk until just frothy. Sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs over a large plate. One at a time, dip the sausages into the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated, then place on the baking tray. Chill the sausages in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the sausages over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes, turning regularly until golden-brown and crisp, and serve. You could also spray the sausages with a little oil and bake them in an oven preheated to 200ºC for 20-25 minutes. Makes 8

PREIPOT (LEEK POT)

RENATE SLYKERMAN has a small vege patch in her family’s urban property, but leeks take too long to grow so she buys them from her local farmers’

Divide the leek mixture into eight portions and roll into sausage shapes. Place the sausages onto a lined tray with cling film over them.

market. Her leek hotpot recipe has been in her family for many years, and came all the way from her native Netherlands. You could serve it with some side veges or a salad, but usually this one-pot meal is eaten on its own.

Ingredients • oil for cooking • 400500g beef mince • sea salt and ground pepper • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 large leek or several smaller ones, trimmed and thinly sliced • 5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Cheese sauce • 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons flour • 1 teaspoon beef stock powder • 1½ cups whole milk

• 1½ cups grated tasty cheese

Heat some oil in a large saucepan. Add the mince and brown it. Add the nutmeg and season it with salt and pepper.

Add the leeks, potatoes and a splash of water to the pot – the water will “steam” the potatoes and also prevent everything from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cover with a lid and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked. They will fall apart when ready.

For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in another saucepan. Add the flour, salt, pepper and beef stock powder and whisk together. Add the milk in three lots, whisking to incorporate and thicken after each addition. Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain any water away, and then add the cheese sauce. Mix everything together well and serve. Serves 5-6

JEANNIE’S LEEK & CHICKEN FILO PIE

VICKI CLARK uses every spare inch of her property to grow carrots, tomatoes, corn, silverbeet, spinach, broccoli, spring onions, peppers, herbs and lettuces. Leeks are her favourite though, and Vicki plants her leeks into a bed of pea straw, with compost, sheep pellets, blood and bone, and rock phosphate. She trims the roots and outer leaves and uses a dibber to get a deepish hole, then waters them in and that’s about it.

This recipe was given to Vicki by her friend Jeannie Ching. Vicki describes Jeannie as a gardener extraordinaire, a fab cook and a wonderful friend. “She first made the leek and filo pie when my mum who lived with me had broken her leg. Jeannie turned up with this beautiful, tasty comfort food dish. It has been a favourite ever since as it always brings back the memories of her kindness to me when I needed it the most.”

The best thing about this dish?

It is so simple to make that the recipe isn’t precise and is more of a guide; adapt to suit the what you have to hand and the numbers you need to feed.

Ingredients • thinly sliced leeks

• additional veges, if desired (Vicki likes mushrooms and peas) • butter

• shredded cooked chicken • bechamel sauce • filo pastry sheets • spray oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt some butter in a saucepan, and add the leeks and veges. Sauté the veges until they are soft and tender. Stir through the chicken. Make a bechamel sauce

(or open the bought jar!). You can add cheese to the sauce if you wish. Stir the sauce through the chicken and vege mix. The mixture should be creamy and not too dry, or too sloppy. Put the hot mixture into a casserole dish.

Take a sheet of filo pastry, spray it with cooking spray then scrunch it up loosely into a ball. Place on top of the chicken mixture and repeat with enough filo sheets to form a pie crust.

Bake in the oven until the pastry is cooked and golden. You only need to cook the pastry, as the rest of the mix is hot and cooked already so it will only need a few minutes. Watch it closely, as you don’t want to burn the filo. Serves as many as you like.