We often think of our wintery veggies as a wee bit boring compared to the brightly coloured zestiness of summer fruits and veg, but for me some winter wonders pack a real punch in flavour and usefulness – the lovely leek for example and my recipe for Leek Confit will prove the point.
Leeks are often forgotten and relegated to the soup pot and very little else, they can end up being looked on as a sort of filler veggie, but I love these guys for their sharp flavour when finely sliced (white bit only and nice and young) and served raw in salads and their heavenly sweetness and almost delicate flavour when cooked.
Maybe I am a bit biased towards leeks as one of the finest varieties of leeks in the UK is the Musselburgh leek and that’s the town I grew up in. I’ve already used them in a couple of recipes here on the blog, check out my Musselburgh Tarts (Mussel and leek tartlets) and Cock-a-leekie Soup recipes.
This leek confit recipe makes one large jar and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. I use it rather like pesto, spooning it on to spaghetti and swirling it in, serving on toast with melted cheese for a comforting calorific lunch of supper dish, and just dolloped on to a bowl of potato soup for a bit of added interest and texture.
All you need are 4 large leeks, 1 nice big sprig of fresh thyme or a teaspoon of dried thyme if fresh isn’t available, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and a couple of tablespoons of water.
I like to make my leek confit by baking my leeks (along with all the other ingredients in the oven till they are all mushy and golden (don’t let them burn) and then just ladling into a sterilised jar, but you could do this in a pan on the stove top but you won’t get that lovely roasty flavour.
So there’s a nice simple wee recipe for you this week, seasonal, tasty and another little something to keep on hand in the fridge to make life easier in the kitchen dept.
Happy February!
Karon x
- 4 large leeks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- large sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2-3 tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
- Clean the leeks well and slice the white part and paler green leaves into thin rings.
- Arrange on an oven tray and add the thyme, oil and water.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes till golden and soft.
- You might want to add a little extra water if they are drying out too much, check half way through cooking time.
- Ladle into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Oh my goodness, that sounds magnificent! I just recently cooked with leeks for the very first time last week, and I’m hooked. I found your recipe over on Punk Domestics, and I’d love it if you’d link up your leek recipe in our collection! http://tikkido.com/blog/parmesan-frico-cups-mushroom-leek-filling-appetizer-recipe
Hi Nikki
Thanks for contacting me. Have sent you a link, hope it works.
K x
Hi Karon, just want to let you know that with this recipe my spinach and herb pie (Spanakopita) was amazing. Usually, cook the leeks with the herbs, then I cook the spinach, mix everything up, roll out my own crust, pour the mixture and finish with the pie. This time I roasted the leeks, cooked the herbs and spinach, rolled out my bottom phyllo crust, poured in the mixture of greens, topped it with the roasted leeks ( I increased the amount) and topped it with another crust and baked it. Wonderful, thank you!
Hi Maria
That sounds like a fabulous way to use these leeks. I’ll be doing it myself.
K x
I am pretty sure that this will be my number one go-to condiment this year. How delicious is that??? I wanted to say thank you for participating in our first Taste Creations Link up. In March we are featuring potatoes and hopefully you will link up again! Thanks for participating!
Glad you liked the recipe Terri and only too pleased to be part of the link-up.
K x
I LOVE leeks but Have never thought of making them into a confit! I think my choice would be on toast with cheese 😉
Thanks so much for linking this up to the Taste Creations Link Party! We hope you will join us again next month on the 7th March for Potato Month! 🙂
Glad you liked the recipe Lauren and thrilled to have been part of your link-up.
K x
I love leeks and grew a tone of them this year so I need some recipes to preserve leeks. Have you ever tried freezing this confit? It would be lovely to have in cold snowy February!
Haven’t tried freezing it myself, don’t see why not though.