Leeks differ from onions in their more delicate, soft, creamy taste. It is especially popular in European cuisine as it adds a pleasant taste and aroma to dishes. There is even a “Leek Society” in the UK. The English are quite understandable. How can you not love this delicious and very healthy vegetable, rich in vitamins B, A, E, K and valuable minerals. There are so many recipes for cooking leeks that you could create an entire encyclopedia from them. Where do we start?
French quiche with tender salmon
Quiche is a French open pie with different fillings, but always with eggs, milk and cheese. Leek pies are very tasty. Baked leeks become even more tender and aromatic, pairing perfectly with fish. Quiche with salmon and leeks turns out very tasty, but try making a shortcrust pastry pie with salmon. It's incredibly delicious!
Mix in a bowl 200 g flour, 100 g soft butter, 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 0.5 tsp. salt and rub everything with your hands until you get fine crumbs. Add 2 yolks and mix with the crumbs, and then form the dough into a ball. If it turns out a little dry, add 1 tbsp. l. water, but no more. Try not to knead the dough, otherwise the cake will turn out tough. Just roll it into a ball, wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.
In the meantime, get on with the filling. Chop 300 g of salmon into cubes and cut 2 tomatoes into slices. Finely chop a bunch of dill, and cut two leek stalks into rings - only the white and light green parts. Fry the onion in butter until golden brown.
All that remains is to make the filling for the filling. To do this, beat 4 eggs, pour 180 ml of milk or 10% cream into them if you are not counting calories. Now salt and pepper the milk-egg mixture and pour 2 tbsp into it. l. grated cheese.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out directly onto the baking paper into a circle slightly larger than the tin. The resulting dough is quite enough for a mold with a diameter of 18–20 cm. Place the “pancake” into the mold, press the sides, cut off the excess dough and level it well.
Prick the dough at the bottom of the pan with a fork, cover with parchment and sprinkle dry beans or peas on top. Thanks to this weighting agent, you will get an even, thin cake with a depression, shaped like a plate. Place the mold in the oven for 15 minutes, preheated to 175°C. After this, remove the parchment with the weighting agent and put the pie in the oven for another five minutes.
Place fish, tomatoes, onions and dill on the pie, add 1 tbsp. l. capers and pour the milk-egg mixture with cheese. Place the quiche in the oven for about half an hour and remove when the filling has set well but is slightly jiggly in the center.
Turn off the oven and leave the cake in it for 10 minutes. Serve it warm, although the quiche is delicious cold. Try making smoked mackerel and leek quiche some other time, and experiment with any fish you like!
Recipes with leeks
Before cooking, wash the onion thoroughly to remove any dirt . If you are going to add a vegetable to a salad, you can pour boiling water over the white part to disinfect it.
How to cook leeks so that they are delicious? Depending on what kind of leek dish you will prepare, the vegetable must be cut correctly. It is better to cut into thin half rings. The richness of the taste depends on the size of the cut rings. The thinner the rings, the more piquant the taste.
Salad
Recipes for dishes with leeks are varied. Try preparing a light salad and eating it cold as a snack.
You will need:
- leek - 1 stalk;
- apple - 2 pcs.;
- cabbage - 500 gr.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- celery - 100 gr.;
- basil - to taste;
- tarragon - to taste;
- lemon balm - to taste;
- sour cream, mayonnaise or lemon juice for dressing.
How to cook:
- Cut the onion into thin slices.
- Cut the apple, cabbage and celery into squares.
- Grate the carrots.
- Mix all ingredients in a plate and add a small amount of dressing. Choose a dressing to suit your taste. If you are on a diet, you can simply sprinkle the salad with lemon juice or eat it without dressing, since vegetables and fruits provide juice.
- Add greens to the salad to suit your taste.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 66 Kcal.
Soup
Creamy leek soup turns out to be tender and tasty.
Making leek soup is a pleasure. The soup is piquant, tasty and improves appetite. Mostly cream soups are made from leeks, but if you wish, you can add onions to any soup. The soup turns out tender and satisfying. Prepare the cream soup in small portions, since after seasoning it should be consumed immediately while hot. If desired, add herbs and spices to the soup.
You will need:
- leek - 1 pc.;
- pearl barley - 1 cup;
- butter - 1 tbsp;
- flour - 1 tbsp;
- egg - 1 pc.;
- milk - ⅘ glass;
- vegetable or meat broth - 1-2 liters.
How to cook:
- Dip leeks, pre-simmered in oil, and cooked pearl barley into the prepared broth.
- Mix the mixture and pass through a blender.
- Bring the resulting mixture to a boil and season with a pre-prepared sauce of your choice.
- For the white dressing: fry the flour in a frying pan with a little oil. If there is leek broth or broth left, add 1 tbsp to the flour. navara.
- For egg-milk dressing: separate the yolk from the white. Add hot milk to the raw yolk and stir the mixture constantly. Bring the resulting mass to thicken over low heat, but do not boil. After seasoning the soup with white or egg mixture, do not boil it.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 60 Kcal.
Chicken
Any recipes for leeks and chicken are very satisfying and tasty. Chicken cooked with onions is suitable for lunch or dinner. Leeks sauteed in oil have a delicate and bright taste. The flavor of the chicken or onions won't be overpowered, and the ingredients work well together. Rice is a great side dish for chicken.
For dinner you can cook chicken with leeks
You will need:
- chicken leg - 2 pcs.;
- leek - 1 pc.;
- Gouda cheese - 100 gr.;
- boiled water - 150 g;
- cream - 200 gr.;
- oil - 20 gr.;
- salt - to taste;
- dill - to taste;
- ground pepper - to taste.
How to cook:
- Wash the legs, remove the skin if necessary.
- Fry until almost done on both sides, add salt to taste.
- Cut the white part of the leek diagonally, no thinner than 3 mm, otherwise it will lose its shape. Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion on both sides, add chicken legs to it.
- Prepare a white sauce from boiled water and cream.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper, add half of the finely chopped dill.
- Pour the sauce over the legs and cover the pan loosely so that excess moisture can evaporate. The sauce should thicken.
- After 15 minutes of simmering, add finely chopped cheese and keep the dish on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Then add the remaining dill to the finished dish and let the chicken and leek dish brew for another 5 minutes.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 100 Kcal.
Meat
Pork goes well with leeks. Cooking pork is not difficult. This dish is perfect for dinner for the whole family. Serve the dish hot. For a side dish, make a fresh vegetable salad or mashed potatoes.
You will need:
- boneless pork - 500 gr.;
- leek - 1 pc.;
- vegetable oil - for frying;
- cumin - to taste;
- salt and black pepper - to taste.
How to cook:
- Cut the pork into small pieces and fry until golden brown.
- Wash the onion, dry it and cut it into rings.
- In a separate pan, fry the onion until it becomes soft and browned.
- Add onion to pork and sprinkle with cumin.
- Salt and pepper the roast to taste.
- Add 1 cup of boiled water to the roast and simmer for 30 minutes until done.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 253 Kcal.
Fish
Baked fish with leeks is suitable as a dietary and tasty dish for the whole family.
You will need:
- sole - 600 gr.;
- sour cream - 250 gr.;
- leek - 1 pc.;
- eggs - 1 pc.;
- vegetables for garnish - to taste;
- salt - to taste.
How to cook:
- Wash the sole in cold water and cut into pieces, leek into thin half rings.
- Prepare the dressing mixture. Mix sour cream, onion, egg and salt.
- Place the chopped fish in a baking dish.
- Pour the prepared mixture on top.
- Cover the top of the pan with foil and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Vegetables for garnish - take tomatoes or cucumbers, cut into small pieces, salt and season with a drop of oil.
- Remove the fish dish from the oven and top with fresh vegetables.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 105 Kcal.
Pie
Note to all housewives, a very tasty pie made from yeast dough with onions and eggs. Spend about 1 hour preparing the ingredients and baking. This pie will appeal to adults and children.
You will need:
- yeast dough - 0.5-1 kg;
- leek - 1 pc.;
- eggs - 7 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp;
- nutmeg - to taste;
- salt - to taste.
How to cook:
- Wash the onion and cut into thin slices.
- Fry the onion in a frying pan with vegetable oil.
- Boil the eggs and cut into small pieces.
- Combine eggs and fried onions, salt and pepper to taste.
- Roll out the dough and place the onion and egg mixture on one half. Cover the filling with the other half of the dough.
- Grease the pie with butter to form a crust when baking.
- Bake the pie in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 154 Kcal.
Vegetable dish
Preparing a vegetable dish with leeks is very simple. If you do not have all the vegetables from the proposed list in your refrigerator, then prepare a stew from those vegetables that you can find. Rhubarb gives the dish a sour taste, so if you don't like sourness, add your favorite seasoning. Serve the vegetable stew hot with sour cream and cottage cheese. Approximately 1 tbsp per serving. sour cream and 1 tbsp. cottage cheese. The taste of the dish is amazing.
You will need:
- leek - 1-2 pcs.;
- carrots - 2 pcs.;
- bell pepper - 3 pcs.;
- eggplants - 2 pcs.;
- pumpkin - 500 gr.;
- cabbage - 500 gr.;
- tomatoes - 1-2 pcs.;
- rhubarb - 1 pc.;
- meat broth - 0.5-0.7 liters;
- vegetable oil - for frying;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
How to cook:
- Wash the leek and chop finely.
- Chop the cabbage and grate the carrots.
- Cut the eggplants, pumpkin and peppers into cubes.
- Add cabbage to the pan first, then eggplant, pumpkin and pepper.
- Simmer the vegetables over medium heat until they reduce slightly in volume.
- Then add the tomatoes, rhubarb, and when the water has evaporated a little, add the broth.
- 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add chopped leeks to the pan and mix well.
- Let the vegetable dish boil, add salt and remove from heat.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 44 Kcal.
Pancakes
Baking with leeks makes delicious pancakes.
What to cook with leeks to make it tasty and unusual? Prepare savory pancakes. Thanks to the presence of spices and herbs in the recipe, the pancakes turn out nourishing and aromatic. Garlic sauce activates the appetite and gives an interesting taste. Eat the pancakes hot, generously pouring the prepared sauce over them.
You will need:
- leek - 1-2 stalks;
- shallots - 1 stalk;
- flour - 100 gr.;
- eggs - 1 pc.;
- milk - 120 ml;
- butter - 40 gr.;
- chili pepper - ½ tsp;
- parsley - 1 pc.;
- coriander - 1 tsp;
- zira - 1 tsp;
- turmeric - ½ tsp;
- salt - ½ tsp;
- cinnamon - ½ tsp;
- sugar - ½ tsp;
- baking powder - ½ tbsp;
- olive oil - for frying.
For the sauce:
- sour cream - 100 gr.;
- yogurt - 100 gr.;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- lemon juice - 2 tbsp;
- olive oil - 3 tbsp;
- salt - ½ tsp;
- cilantro - to taste.
How to cook:
- Combine all the ingredients for making the sauce in a blender and mix until smooth.
- Cut the leek into small half rings and fry with the shallots in olive oil until golden brown.
- After 15 minutes, when the onion is cooked, add chili, chopped herbs and all the spices. Pre-crush all the spices in a mortar until you obtain a homogeneous consistency.
- In a separate container, mix milk, flour, baking powder and melted butter. The consistency should be like liquid dough. If the dough is too thick, dilute it with milk or water; if it’s too liquid, add flour.
- Separately, beat the egg white and combine the vegetables, dough and white together.
- Fry the pancakes in vegetable oil, placing 2 tbsp in a frying pan. mixtures.
- Once the crust turns golden, turn the pancakes over to the other side.
Calorie content:
Calorie content per 100 g. product 235 Kcal.
For more information on how to cook leeks, watch the video:
Soup with aromatic leek
First, try making creamy leek soup. This is a light, healthy and satisfying dish that is also easy to prepare.
Cut two leeks into rings, chop five potatoes into cubes, finely chop two cloves of garlic. Fry the potatoes with onions and garlic for five minutes in 2 tbsp. l. butter, pour a liter of water over the vegetables and bring the soup to a boil. Add 100 g of frozen peas, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. When the potatoes become soft, add 50 g of processed cheese to the soup and wait for it to dissolve. Beat the leek soup with a blender and add salt. When serving, sprinkle it with any chopped herbs, and don’t forget about toast, croutons or crackers. If you add a little lemon juice to the soup, you can also eat it cold!
Harm
In addition to beneficial properties, leeks have a small amount of harmful ones. Eating this vegetable is strictly contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, since its essential oils irritate the mucous membranes of these internal organs. Its use is not recommended for people with allergic reactions to this product or to the nickel it contains.
Doctors also do not advise eating leek for people who have high blood pressure or an allergic reaction such as urticaria. Breastfeeding mothers should also refrain from eating leeks - with breast milk, its components can enter the baby's stomach and cause irritation.
Hake, leek, pistachios
Among recipes with leeks, baked fish is often found. The fact is that these two products seem to be made for each other. Leeks add a little flavor to the fish, and the fish makes it more nutritious and satisfying, especially if it's hake with herbs and nuts. Hake has no small seeds, so it is very pleasant to eat and you can offer this dish to children.
Rub three portions of hake fillets with fish spices and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. The fish should be saturated with the aroma of spices. At this time, chop the leek stalk and chop three cloves of garlic.
Place the hake fillet in a dish greased with olive oil, sprinkle with leek rings and place in the oven preheated to 190°C. After 25 minutes, sprinkle the fish with garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
Place the fish on a platter, garnish with parsley and sage leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Now you know how to bake leeks in the oven with fish. This dish turns out very tasty and delicious, especially if it is beautifully decorated.
How to choose the right leek
Correctly selected ingredients are the key to a deliciously prepared dish. How to choose delicious leeks? The photo below shows the ideal vegetable that will add a unique flavor bouquet to any dish.
When purchasing this type of onion on the market, it is recommended to pay attention to its color: an ideal leek will have uniformly green leaves and a white bottom. There should be no foreign inclusions on any part of it.
A tasty onion will have a large stem diameter - about 1.5 cm or more, and its surface should be smooth, without cracks.
Tender casserole
Potato casserole is a delicious and easy to make dish. And if you make it with something meat, it will take on a new taste. Since dishes with leek and chicken always turn out well, try this combination - you will love it!
Cut 500 g of chicken fillet into pieces, mix it with 2 tbsp. l. mayonnaise, salt, pepper to taste, favorite spices and 3 cloves of chopped garlic. The chicken should marinate for about 20 minutes.
Chop two leek stalks into thin rings and cut 600 g of potatoes into the same thin circles. Add salt, pepper, spices and any aromatic herbs to 350 ml of heavy cream or sour cream. Grate 300 g of hard cheese.
Grease a baking dish, add a layer of leeks, then a layer of potatoes, pour in a little cream, place chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with cheese. Make as many layers as there is enough food, but there should be cheese on top.
Bake this delicious Creamy Chicken and Leek Pie at 180C for 30-60 minutes, depending on the number of layers. Sprinkle the finished casserole with leek rings and serve as an independent dish that can decorate any holiday!
Original and tasty
Salad with leeks can be very unusual, because leeks add zest to any dish. And if you mix pasta, chicken and bacon in one appetizer, you get a complete meal.
Cut 500 g chicken fillet into pieces. Prepare a mustard-honey marinade from 100 g of Dijon mustard, the juice of one lemon, 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, 150 g of honey, finely chopped bunches of dill and parsley, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, salt and the zest of one lemon. Mix all the ingredients well and coat the chicken with them. Leave it for three hours, then bake it in the oven for an hour at 180–200°C, and then cut into small pieces.
Soak 100 g of bacon, cut into strips, in cold water for 5 minutes. Place them on a napkin to dry and fry them in a dry frying pan, turning them constantly. Cut the bacon into pieces.
Chop 200 champignons into slices and fry them in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Boil 200 g of pasta, chop two leeks into rings, and cut the red, green and yellow bell peppers into slices.
Combine chicken, bacon, pasta, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions in a large salad bowl, season with a little olive oil and mix well. This salad is loved by everyone who is partial to tender and tasty leeks!
Leek with ham
This dish can be an excellent appetizer for any meal; it can also be used as breakfast. To prepare such a dish, you need to take 400 g of the stems of this vegetable, wash them and cut them into large pieces (about 2 cm). They should be placed in a hot frying pan, greased with oil, lightly fried and, adding a small amount of water, simmer for a little while. At the end of this procedure, the onion should be thrown into a sieve and allowed to dry slightly.
Meanwhile, you need to thoroughly grease the baking dish with oil. On its bottom you need to place four or five pre-cooked potatoes, cut into slices, and 200 g of ham, cut into large cubes. Some chefs recommend using smoked meat to prepare such a dish - when finished, the appetizer will have an amazing aroma. Place the leek on top of the meat or ham.
In a separate bowl, it is recommended to mix three chicken eggs, a tablespoon of milk, a small amount of salt and beat everything thoroughly until smooth. Pour the prepared mixture over the vegetables and ham. A small amount of meat can be placed on top of this entire structure.
In this form, the dish should be baked in the oven at low temperature until all ingredients are fully cooked.
Universal leek
And how delicious the leek sauce is! You simply cut two onion stalks into rings, fry them in 2 tbsp. l. butter and pour a glass of dry white wine. Simmer the onion for 20 minutes, and then grind this aromatic mass with a blender.
Salt and pepper the sauce, bring it to a boil, pour in 125 g of heavy cream and add a pinch of chopped fresh tarragon. This sauce can be served with meat, fish, pasta, rice, potatoes and vegetables. It is versatile and goes well with any dish.
Oven-baked leeks can be an ideal side dish for meat and fish. To do this, cut the onion stems lengthwise into several long slices, mix with olive oil and salt. Place the stems on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake for an hour and a half at 150°C. After this, remove the foil, increase the temperature to 200 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.
It is not at all necessary to join the Society of Leek Lovers. You can simply study recipes with leeks with delicious photos, cook them more often, and treat your loved ones and friends. It’s easy to experiment with this product and create more and more interesting dishes!
Benefits of leek
Leeks are a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals that the human body needs for normal development and daily functioning. As nutritionists note, the most important part of such an onion is the white part of the stem - it is in it that all useful microelements are concentrated. The greens of the product are quite poor in such components, however, despite this, many gourmets love to eat them, and in many recipes with leeks they are found as an ingredient.
Onions contain a large amount of carotene, which has a beneficial effect on human vision and hair condition. In addition, it contains iron, folic acid, sodium, potassium and phosphorus, as well as protein. The structure of leek contains a huge amount of essential oils that increase human immunity and also have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.
The product in question also contains a high content of vitamins B, C and E.
In this regard, the vegetable is widely used in the field of medicine (treatment of rheumatism, vitamin deficiency, gout, rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases and liver problems), as well as in cosmetology and dietetics. In addition to all this, with regular use of such a product, a person’s level of vital energy significantly increases, which, of course, is a positive effect.