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Feature Articles

What are Leeks?

Meet a Not-Too-Famous Onion

Discovering What We Don’t Know About Leeks

Alien Encounters:

Drumming Up Inspiration for Strange-Sounding Vegetables

A Week of Leeks:

Get to know Leeks, 7 Easy Ways

In Every Issue

Why We Love It

Partners in Flavor and Season

Leek Season

Vegetable Boosters

Picky Eater Tips

Money Saving Tricks

News from the Farm

Cooking School

Cooking Classes:

White Fish and Leeks en Papillote

Roasted Leeks and Butternut Squash Salad

Buying the Best

Storing for Flavor

Prepping Tricks & Tips

Cooking Basics

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

13 Easy Recipes: Make

Leeks a Mid-Winter Favorite

Cooking Leeks: Special Methods

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Braising is a “combination” cooking method because it combines sauteing (to brown a food) and simmering (to finish cooking it to tenderness.) Not surprisingly however, in leek recipes braising doesn’t have the standard meaning. Instead, the term refers to a number of processes. While they are all two-step combination methods, the only other common theme seems to be "simmering in liquid, usually a tasty one."

Following is a steam/bake method you may see in recipes, followed by some variations you might also come across.

Braised, En Papillote

Braising (a Combination Method)

Step 1: Steam Precook leeks by steaming for just 2-3 minutes, just until they turn a vivid green. (Don’t worry if they don’t get fully cooked; they will be baked in Step 2.) Contrast this first step to standard braising procedure where a food is fully browned. Obviously, things must be scaled back for leeks since they don't take well to the high heat required for browning.

Step 2: Bake Finish cooking leeks by baking. Remove lightly steamed leeks to a casserole dish large enough to hold them in a single layer, being sure to press out excess water to avoid diluting the simmering liquid. Now, continue with the low-heat baking procedure detailed in the previous section. (Note that Steps 1 and 2 together accomplish the goals of the Patience Principle: low, slow and moist.)

Step 3: Once braised, leeks can be eaten as is, or gussied up with any of the Quick Finishing Touches, including a gratin topping as shown below. In this connection, don’t forget about the simmering liquid. It is full of flavor and can be reduced for use in a separate sauce or as a sauce itself with just a little added lemon, butter, wine or grainy mustard for quick flavor.

Braising Variations

In some recipes, the steam/bake combination is replaced by a sweat/simmer combo. In Step 1, the leeks are precooked by sweating in a saute pan for just 5-10 minutes, the point being to simply flavor them with the oil rather than to completely soften and sweeten them.
Softening and sweetening are then accomplished by simmering, on the stovetop rather than in the oven. Unlike the usual simmering (described in an earlier section) when done as Step 2 in the braising process, the leeks are simmered over low hear for as long 10 to 20 minutes, until the leeks are tender and almost silky tasting. Stick a fork in the thickest part of a piece to test for doneness–and taste a piece to be certain the leeks are sweet and irresistible–but don’t let them go all the way to mushy.

Different simmering liquids are another braising variation you may see in recipes. Broth is commonly used because it adds a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. However, depending upon the finished dish, cream, milk, melted butter, oil, wine, juice or even just water can be used, or some combination thereof.

Cooking Leeks en Papillote (easy elegance)

Cooking “en papillote” is a fancy name for cooking foods in paper, in this case, parchment paper. You’ll be amazed at the way a simple sheet of paper is almost a foolproof route to moist, tender and flavorful food.

Find out how to prepare foods with this technique by checking out Leeks en Papillote with Orange and Mint, pictured to the right. This recipe provides an explanation of the technique, while the recipe for White Fish with Leeks en Papillote shows how to fold the paper packets with step by step pictures.