Humble Leeks Can Add Brightness to Winter (Published 2015) (2024)

In my experience, leeks are usually terribly overcooked or strangely undercooked. Either way, it’s a sad situation: It’s so easy to get them right, and results can be sublime.

Take leeks vinaigrette, the humble yet iconic French dish. In fact, the French have also named it asperges du pauvre, poor man’s asparagus. And just like asparagus, a leek needs careful cooking.

Yet even in France, where they ought to know better, it can be hard to get a good version in a restaurant. I still cringe at the memory of a seriously overcooked, offensively bland leek salad served in a famous bistro there, which more or less persuaded me to eat only leeks cooked at home.

For leeks vinaigrette you want a fresh-looking leek, medium size or smaller. (But don’t go too small; so-called baby leeks can often taste grassy.)

Here’s how to approach the task of leek butchery. First trim the scraggly root end, leaving a tiny bit of the bottom still intact. There is always an outer tough layer that needs to be peeled away. The top of the leek has a bright green, tender center revealed by removing the thick, gray-green leaves that surround it. With medium-size leeks, it’s best to divide the white part from the green by cutting straight across. This facilitates cooking, as the denser white part takes longer.

When you are chopping leeks for soup, cut them thinly crosswise, then wash them.For large pieces, trim to size before washing. Because leeks are grown in sandy soil, thorough rinsing is necessary to remove grit. A good soak in a large bowl of lukewarm water does the trick. Any dirt, sand or grit sinks to the bottom.

Now, pay attention: Simmer your leeks gently in well-salted water. Don’t let them boil and don’t let them go too long. They should be tender and silky, not mushy or stringy. Conversely, if not cooked enough, they’ll be unpleasantly chewy. And never refrigerate leeks once cooked; they taste far better at room temperature, or they can be browned beneath a broiler or on a grill to serve warm.

Be sure to dress them with an assertive vinaigrette. The leeks’ sweetness needs a hit of red wine vinegar and mustard, even chopped capers or anchovy. Hard-cooked egg and crisp bread crumbs can provide welcome textural contrast.

Whether you choose to make the emerald green leek soup or the warm leeks vinaigrette, you’ll see that even a leek, treated properly, can make an excellent meal.