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Leeks differ from onions in a more delicate, soft, creamy taste. It is especially popular in European cuisine, because it gives dishes a pleasant taste and aroma. There is even a “Leek Lovers ‘Society”in the UK. The English are quite understandable. How can you not love this delicious and very healthy vegetable, rich in vitamins of group B, A, E, K and valuable minerals. There are so many recipes for cooking leeks that you can make a whole encyclopedia out of them. Where do we start?
French quiche with tender salmon
Quiche is a French open pie with different fillings, but always with a filling of eggs, milk and cheese. Leek pies are very tasty. Baked leeks become even more tender and fragrant, perfectly combined with fish. It turns out very tasty quiche with salmon and leeks, but try to make a shortbread pie with salmon. It is incredibly delicious!
Mix 200 g of flour, 100 g of soft butter, 2 tbsp sugar, 0.5 tsp salt in a bowl and rub everything with your hands until you get a fine crumb. Add 2 egg 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 pie will turn out to be harsh. Just roll the ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.
In the meantime, take care of 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 part. Fry the onion in butter until golden brown.
It remains 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 do not count calories. And now add salt and pepper to the milk-egg mixture and pour 2 tablespoons of grated cheese into it.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out directly on baking paper into a circle slightly larger than the mold. The resulting dough is quite enough for a mold with a diameter of 18-20 cm. Transfer the “pancake” to the mold, press the sides, cut off the excess dough and smooth it well.
Pierce the dough at the bottom of the mold with a fork, cover with parchment and pour dry beans or peas on top. Thanks to this weighting, you will get an even thin cake with a recess, shaped like a plate. Put the mold in the oven for 15 minutes, preheated to 175°C. After that, remove the parchment with a weighting agent and put the pie in the oven for another five minutes.
Put the fish, tomatoes, onions and dill on the pie, add 1 tbsp.l. capers and pour the milk-egg mixture with cheese. Put the quiche in the oven for about half an hour and take it out when the filling is well set, but it will tremble a little in the center.
Turn off the oven and leave the pie in it for 10 minutes. Serve it warm, although the quiche is delicious and cold. Try to cook a quiche of smoked mackerel and leeks again sometime and experiment with any fish that you like!
Soup with fragrant leeks
To start, try to prepare a cream soup from leeks. This is a light, healthy and satisfying dish, which is also easy to prepare.
Cut two leek stalks into rings, chop five potatoes into cubes, finely chop two cloves of garlic. Fry the potatoes with onion and garlic for five minutes in 2 tablespoons of butter, pour a liter of water over the vegetables and bring the soup to a boil. Add 100 g of frozen peas, reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes. When the potatoes become soft, throw 50 g of melted cheese into the soup and wait for it to dissolve. Whisk the leek soup with a blender and add salt. When serving, sprinkle it with any chopped herbs, while not forgetting about toast, croutons or crackers. If you add a little lemon juice to the soup, you can eat it cold!
Hake, leek, pistachios
Among the recipes with leeks, baked fish is often found. The fact is that these two products seem to be created for each other. Leek gives the fish a little piquancy, and the fish makes it more nutritious and satisfying, especially if it is hake with herbs and nuts. There are no small bones in hake, so it is very pleasant to eat it and you can offer this dish to children.
Rub three portions of hake fillet with fish spices and leave for 15 minutes to marinate. The fish should be soaked in the aroma of spices. At this time, chop the leek stalk and chop three cloves of garlic.
Place the hake fillet in a greased form with olive oil, sprinkle with leek rings and put it 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, sprinkle with cold-pressed olive oil and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Now you know how to bake leeks in the oven with fish. This dish turns out to be very tasty and refined, especially if it is beautifully decorated.
Tender casserole
Potato casserole is an amazing and easy-to-prepare dish. And if you make it with something meat, it will acquire a new taste. Since leek and chicken dishes are always successful, try this combination-you will like it!
Cut into pieces 500 g of chicken fillet, mix it with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, salt, pepper to taste, favorite spices and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. The chicken should be marinated for about 20 minutes.
Chop two leek stalks into thin rings and cut 600 g of potatoes into the same thin circles. In 350 ml of heavy cream or sour cream, add salt, pepper, spices and any fragrant herbs. Grate 300 g of hard cheese on a grater.
Grease a baking dish with butter, put a layer of leeks, then a layer of potatoes, pour a little cream, put chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with cheese. Make as many such layers as there are enough products, but there should be cheese on top.
Bake this magnificent pie with creamy chicken and leeks at 180°C for 30-60 minutes, depending on the number of layers. Sprinkle the finished casserole with leek rings and serve it on the table as an independent dish that can decorate any holiday!
Original and delicious
Salad with leeks can be very unusual, because leeks give a zest to any dishes. And if you mix pasta, chicken and bacon in one snack, you will get a full lunch.
Cut into pieces 500 g of chicken fillet. Prepare a mustard-honey marinade of 100 g of Dijon mustard, the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 150 g of honey, finely chopped bunches of dill and parsley, 5 cloves of crushed garlic, salt and 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 a temperature of 180-200°C, and then cut into small pieces.
Hold 100 g of bacon, cut into strips, in cold water for 5 minutes. Put them on a napkin to dry and fry them in a dry frying pan, constantly turning them over. Cut the bacon into pieces.
Chop 200 champignons into slices and fry them in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Cook 200 g of pasta, chop two leek stalks into rings, and cut the red, green and yellow bell peppers into slices.
Mix the chicken, bacon, pasta, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion in a large salad bowl, season with a small amount of olive oil and mix well. This salad is liked by everyone who is not indifferent to tender and delicious leeks!
Universal leek
And how delicious is the leek sauce! You just cut two onion stalks into rings, fry them in 2 tablespoons of butter and pour a glass of dry white wine. Put out the onion for 20 minutes, and then chop this fragrant mass with a blender.
Add salt and pepper to 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 perfectly harmonizes with any dishes.
Leeks baked in the oven can be an ideal side dish for meat and fish. To do this, cut the onion stalks lengthwise into several long plates, 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 that, remove the foil, increase the temperature to 200 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.
It is not necessary to join the “Society of Leek Lovers”. You can just study recipes with leeks with delicious photos, cook it more often, treat your family and friends. It’s easy to experiment with this product and create more and more interesting dishes!