Leek season is finally here! This well-known vegetable marks the beginning of autumn.
Do you really know leeks?
High in vitamin A and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, leeks are a “winter” vegetable above all else.
In cooking, the white part of the leek is often called “leek white” but the interesting part to eat is the green part which contains precious vitamins. Moreover, it produces less vegetal waste. Leeks are also high in fibre, which helps regulate the intestines.
Choose the fresh ones, which have a smooth coating and are bright in colour with firm and standing leaves.
Cooking the leek
In order to maintain the precious vitamins and minerals of the leek, avoid overcooking the leek. Cook it in a slow steaming process or in a frying pan on low heat.
Once the leeks are cooked, you can eat them hot or cold.
I would like to share with you a unique recipe, easy and quick to make, using very less ingredients.
Pastry filled with leeks and fresh goat cheese
A combination that works really well is to mix fresh goat cheese with the flavour of leeks. The crispiness of the pastry brings a different texture and gives the recipe a really nice touch to eat as a finger-food. Try it, it’s very easy to make! Kids love it too.
You can make this recipe using a frying-pan or the oven if you wish to go for less herbs. Both work perfectly well.
All you have to do is make a salad or a sauce to go with your pastries and it’s ready!
We have prepared the salad with small dices of raw peppers and minced peanuts. We drizzled them with some olive oil and a little bit of Espelette’s chillies.
Enjoy your meal!
- 500 g leeks
- 1 onion
- 1 handful green peas
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
- Wash and cut the leeks and onion into slices. In a large frying pan, pour a little bit of olive oil and fry the leeks, peas and onions for just a few minutes until they turn “al dente”. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly.
- Mix the goat cheese in a small bowl and add it to the leeks and onions mix.
- Cut the filo pastry into two. Add 1 tbsp of the leeks mixture onto it and then roll it like a spring roll. Repeat this step for each half of pastry sheets.
- Brush the pastries with a little bit of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with a topping of your choice (here we have peanuts and peppers in olive oil).
What do you think?