In article >,
OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:


> I don't get this... I trim the bottom off of them, peel/remove any
> external leaves that are dried/inedible, trim only the dried or damaged
> tips off of the leaves then separate the leek apart as needed to wash
> out the dirt.
>
> I then slice the entire thing up in thin slices, INCLUDING the greens
> and use in soups or braised recipes, and sometimes a small amount in
> stir fry. Granted, I do slice the greens a bit finer than I do the base.
>
> That green part cooks down well and seems to be edible to me?
>
> What am I missing?

Ok, I gotta try this. My wife and daughter are big fans of leek soup.
And they both insist that the green stuff isn't for eating. So I find a
recipe, my wife says to look for Vichyssoise, although we don't puree or
chill it:

Potato Leek Soup
================


4 medium leeks
2 T butter
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 t salt
1/4 ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream


Trim and clean leeks. Melt butter and saute leeks. Add potatoes,
broth, water, salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are done. Add milk
and cream. Heat.

The above isn't the recipe from the book, but I still made more changes.
My daughter is a vegetarian, so I used veggie broth instead of chicken.
I substituted white pepper for the black, and I added a pinch of cayenne
and a couple of swipes from the nutmeg grater.

I put the white and pale parts of the leeks (I just had two, but they
were monsters) in the soup. I put the green parts (minus two inches)
into a separate saucepan.

The green parts tasted fine, although the flavor was a little different.
The three of us agreed that the green parts (or at least some) should go
directly in the soup next time. I took the advice posted in this thread
and tried a bite raw. It tasted good.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA