Leek: cooking recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Leek is a vegetable that is related to the common, common onion. However, in reality, it has one main difference - taste. It is easy to see that the leek has a softer, creamy taste than onion. It is thanks to this distinction that he is incredibly loved by many gourmets.

What is the value of such a product and what can be cooked with it? More on this later.

Benefits of Leek

Leek is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals that the human body needs for normal development and daily life. According to nutritionists, the most important part of such an onion is the white part of the stem - it is in it that all useful trace elements are concentrated. The greens of the product are rather scarce in such components, however, despite this, many gourmets are very fond of eating it, and in many recipes with leeks, it is found as an ingredient.

Bonion contains 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 the 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, beriberi, gout, rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases and liver problems), as well as in cosmetology and nutrition. In addition to all this, with the regular use of such a product, a person’s level of vital energy is significantly increased, which, of course, is a positive effect.

Harm

In addition to beneficial properties, leeks have a small amount of harmful ones. The use of such a vegetable for food is categorically contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, since its essential oils irritate the mucous membrane of these internal organs. It is not recommended for use by people with allergic reactions to this product or to the nickel it contains.

Doctors also advise against eating leeks for people who have high blood pressure or an allergic reaction such as hives. Nursing mothers should also refrain from eating leeks - with breast milk, its components can enter the baby's stomach and cause itirritation.

How to choose the right leek

Correctly selected ingredients are the key to a deliciously cooked dish. How to choose a delicious leek? The photo below shows the perfect vegetable to add a unique flavor to any dish.

When purchasing this variety of onion on the market, it is recommended to pay attention to its color: the ideal leek will have leaves evenly colored green and a white bottom. There should be no extraneous inclusions on any part of it.

A delicious onion will have a large stem diameter of about 1.5 cm or more, and its surface should be smooth, without cracks.

Warm leek salad

An original and he althy salad with leek can please your household. Before you start cooking, make the sauce. To do this, in one bowl you need to mix the juice squeezed from half a lemon, a quarter teaspoon of sweet chili sauce, and a teaspoon of soy sauce. To these ingredients, add a couple of crushed cloves of garlic and mix thoroughly.

A couple of chicken breasts should be washed, dried and, cut into strips, fry for 4-5 minutes in a hot frying pan using olive oil. After it has cooled down, pre-washed, peeled and chopped bell peppers, one carrot, and three leek stalks should be added to a common deep plate. The whole mass should be seasoned with pre-prepared sauce and finely chopped parsley. In this composition, the salad should be sent to fry onpan for a couple of minutes. After the allotted time, the salad can be removed from the stove and served hot.

Cream soup

Delicious and low-calorie leek soup can be prepared in a short time. To do this, take 50 g of red lentils and, having thoroughly washed it several times, cook until fully cooked without adding s alt.

Meanwhile, heat a teaspoon of sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 6 cm of a leek stalk to it and after a while pour 1.5 cups of broth (you can use water). As soon as everything starts to boil, you need to send 150 g of celery and carrot root, pre-chopped into strips, to it. In this composition, the ingredients need to be cooked for 15 minutes.

After the specified time, add a teaspoon of adjika and pre-cooked lentils to the pan. S alt and pepper the soup to taste.

At the end of cooking, squeeze the juice of one orange into the soup and let it boil a little, grind all the contents with a blender. When serving, the finished dish can be garnished with parsley.

Onion pie

Few housewives practice cooking leek pie, and in vain - in fact, it turns out to be a very tasty dish.

For such a unique product, fluffy dough should be prepared correctly. To do this, in one bowl you need to combine a glass of kefir, three chicken eggs, 200 g of mayonnaise, 1.5 cups of sifted flour, as well as a small amount of s alt, sugar and a bagbaking powder for dough. From the combined ingredients, you need to knead the dough, for more airiness of which you can use a mixer. When ready, it should be set aside for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the leek. Its stems must be washed, dried and fried in a copious amount of vegetable oil on all sides. At the end of the cooking process, the vegetable should be lightly peppered and s alted.

When all the ingredients are ready, you need to start forming the pie. To do this, half the dough must be poured into a pre-prepared and oiled form, put the fried onion and cover it with the rest of the dough. In this form, the cake should be baked for half an hour in an oven heated to 180 degrees.

Chicken with onions

Another original recipe for leeks is stewing with chicken. In order to get a delicious dish at the end, you need to cut 400 g of chicken fillet into pieces and leave it to dry. In the meantime, you need to wash and cut the onion stalk into small pieces, fry it in a hot pan with vegetable oil and combine with chicken - in this composition, the ingredients must be fried, stirring occasionally. When the chicken and leeks are ready, baste them generously with a mixture made from 4 tbsp. l. soy sauce and a teaspoon of honey.

The contents need to be stewed for a couple more minutes over low heat, after which the finished dish can be served hot.

Roasted leek can be used with othertypes of meat.

Fish with onions

The process of cooking leeks with fish is simple. In order to make a delicious dish, you can use salmon fillets, such as salmon. The fish must be washed, dried with a paper towel and cut into small pieces.

To prepare such a dish, it is best to use only the white part of the onion stalk - you will need 3 of them. Onions should be pre-washed, dried and chopped. After that, in a hot frying pan, fry the chopped vegetable using butter (40 g). As soon as it begins to acquire a golden hue, fish should be sent to the leek. In this composition, the ingredients should be fried for 15 minutes.

After the specified time, the salmon should be poured with 300 g of cream and simmered in this form on the slowest fire for about 4 minutes.

Vegetables with mushrooms and cheese

Another recipe with leeks, following which you can cook a very tasty diet dish. To do this, you need to use only fresh vegetables and mushrooms, which must first be washed and peeled and all that is superfluous.

In the bottom of a greased baking dish you need to put three potatoes, cut into circles. A chopped apple (preferably with sourness), 100 g of the green part of the leek stalk, 150 g of cauliflower and broccoli, as well as carrots and 250 g of mushrooms are placed on top of them (it is best to use champignons). Each layer should be peppered and s alted.

After the whole structure isassembled, sprinkle 150 g of hard cheese on top, grease with a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and leave it like this for 10 minutes.

After the specified period, the vegetables must be sent to an oven preheated to 180 degrees and baked in it for twenty minutes, until a golden crust forms.

Pasta

In traditional Italian cuisine there is a dish like pasta with seafood and leeks. It can be prepared very easily and quickly.

At the very beginning, boil 250 g of pasta according to the instructions on the package. While it is cooking, you can start preparing the addition to it. To do this, 500 g of shrimp must be cleaned and fried in a hot frying pan, using a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. At the end of this procedure, the contents must be s alted and peppered to taste. After that, without reducing the heat, add 50 g of chopped leeks and the same amount of butter to the pan. In this composition, it is necessary to continue the frying process for three minutes, after which you need to pour a glass of cream into the products and, after waiting for them to thicken, remove the mass from the heat.

After the pasta is ready, drain the water from it and mix with the creamy sauce, serve.

Leek with ham

This dish can be a great appetizer for any feast, it can also be used as a 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 on a hot frying pan, greased with oil, lightly fried and, pouring a small amount of water, put out a little. At the end of this procedure, the onion should be thrown back on a sieve and allowed to dry slightly.

Meanwhile, grease a baking dish well with butter. On its bottom it is necessary to lay out four or five pre-cooked potatoes, cut into circles, and 200 g of ham, cut into large cubes. Some chefs recommend using smoked meat to prepare such a dish - when ready, the appetizer will have an amazing aroma. Lay a 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 s alt and beat everything well until smooth. The finished mass should be poured over vegetables with ham. On top of this whole structure, you can lay out a small amount of meat.

In this form, the dish should be baked in the oven at a low temperature until all ingredients are fully cooked.