The perfect leek and potato soup.

How to make the perfect leek and potato soup | Life and style | The Guardian:
(serves 4)
1 or 2 large baking potatoes or 375g floury potatoes
2 large tbsp butter
450g trimmed leeks (about 3 medium)
1 litre light chicken or vegetable stock, or water
4 tbsp sour cream, to serve
4 tbsp chopped chives, to serve

Heat the oven to 200C (400F) fan.
Prick the potato several times with a skewer, then bake for about an hour and a quarter until cooked through.
Allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat.
Rinse the leeks, then roughly chop.
Fry with a pinch of salt until soft and silky, then scoop out a couple of spoonfuls and set aside.

Cut the potato into cubes, skin and all.
Add to the pan and saute for another couple of minutes, then add the stock or water.
Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then puree.
Season to taste, then stir in the reserved leeks.
Divide between bowls and top with a spoonful of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

Leek and potato: is it the perfect spring soup?
How do you make yours, and how do you like to ring the changes when serving it cold as a fancy vichyssoise?

Then:
- Mary Berry's leek and potato soup - Saga: "soups and stews recipe collection"

- Marmaduke Scarlet: leek and butterbean soup

Tagliatelle with leeks.

Rachel Roddy’s leeks and mussels tagliatelle recipe | A Kitchen in Rome | Life and style | The Guardian
The leeks, which are inspired by an Anna Del Conte recipe.
Having cooked the leeks until soft and silky and intensely savoury, she stirred them into pasta.
Leeks cooked this way can be mixed with ricotta, which again makes an excellent sauce for pasta.
They are also good stirred into boiled rice or with soft boiled eggs, or served under fish or chicken.
Tagliatelle with leeks (and mussels, if you like)
Serves 4
800g leeks – ideally smallish ones
40g butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
A generous splash of white wine
450g tagliatelle
1.5kg mussels (optional)
Pecorino cheese

1 Prepare the leeks: cut away the root and trim 5-10cm of dark green from the top, depending on freshness, so you are left with just white and light green.
Cut the leeks into thin rounds, then rinse well to get rid of any grit, then drain.

2 Warm the butter and the olive oil in a deep frying pan over a low-medium heat, add the leeks and a pinch of salt and stir until they are glistening.
Add the wine.
Cover the leeks with a piece of buttered greaseproof paper, cover with a lid and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the leeks are incredibly soft.
Pull the pan from the heat.

3 Bring a large pan of water to a fast boil, add salt, stir and add the tagliatelle, and set the timer for one minute less than the time on the packet.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain, reserving a little pasta cooking water, then tip into the leek (and mussel) pan and toss well, adding a little pasta cooking water (mussel liquor) if you think it needs it.
Serve immediately, with grated pecorino or parmesan cheese if you like.

When you are cooking the leeks, Anna suggests you put a layer of buttered baking parchment between the leeks and the lid.
It really does seem to make the leeks more silky, but it is a step you could skip.

I have suggested tagliatelle – the flat ribbons working well with this sauce – but I imagine linguine, spaghetti or farfalle would work well too.
And finally cheese, ideally pecorino, most certainly on the leek version.

Rachel Roddy is a food blogger based in Rome and the author of Five Quarters: Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome (Saltyard, 2015) and winner of the 2015 André Simon food book award.

Leek fritters.

Yotam Ottolenghi makes leek fritters | Life and style | The Guardian:
The natural sweetness of leeks, with their soft, oniony aroma, makes them the perfect winter comfort food. The creamy sauce, full of herbs and zest, adds a bit of complexity but is unreservedly delicious. Serves four.
For the sauce
100g Greek yogurt
100g sour cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
20g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
30g finely chopped coriander leaves
For the fritters
3 leeks (450g trimmed weight)
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
140ml olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
25g parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg white
120g self-raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
150ml milk
55g unsalted butter, melted

Start by making the sauce. 
Put all the sauce ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, blitz together until a uniform green, then set to one side.
Cut the leeks into 2cm thick rounds, rinse and dry. Over medium heat, sauté the leeks and shallots in a pan with five tablespoons of oil until soft - about 15 minutes - then transfer to a bowl and add the chilli, parsley, spices, sugar and salt. Leave to cool.
Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and fold it into the vegetables.
In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, egg, milk and butter to form a batter. Gently mix this into the egg white and vegetable mixture.
Put two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Spoon the mixture into the pan to make four large fritters, and fry for two to three minutes a side, until golden and crisp.
Transfer to kitchen towel and repeat, adding oil as needed, until the mixture is used up.
Serve warm with the sauce on the side or drizzled over.

'via Blog this'

Leek and mushroom quiche.

leek and mushroom quiche | smitten kitchen:
Leek and Mushroom Quiche [Quiche aux Poireaux et Champignons]
Adapted from Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

3 to 4 leeks, white part only, sliced
1/2 cup water
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
5 to 6 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon port
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (Deb: I use whole milk)
An 8-inch partially-cooked pastry shell on a baking sheet
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon butter cut into pea-sized dots