Olive Oil Braised Leeks with Butter Beans & Sizzled Mint

Name: Olive Oil Braised Leeks with Butter Beans & Sizzled Mint
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: Crusty bread, such as baguette, to serve; Salt and pepper; Leaves from ½ small bunch of mint (about 30 leaves), picked; Crusty bread, such as baguette, to serve; 350 ml (12 fl oz/1½ cups) extra virgin olive oil; 6 pink peppercorns; Salt and pepper; 1 lemon; 1 red chilli, scored with a sharp knife; 4 slim leeks (about 750g/1lb 10oz in total), outer leaves removed and white and light green stalk cut into 2cm (¾in) rounds (save the dark green parts for stock); 4 bay leaves; 5 sprigs of tarragon; 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 2 bay leaves; 1 x 700 g (1lb 9oz) jar of butter beans; 75 g (2½ oz) fresh goats’ cheese

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 30

Appears in

Love Vegetables

By Anna Shepherd

Published 2024

About

Cooking the leeks slowly in oil and aromatics like this only intensifies their mellow sweetness, and turns their fibrous layers tender and almost creamy. This does take a little time, but once cooked, they can be covered and kept for up to 5 days in the fridge before finishing everything else off.

Ingredients

4 slim leeks (about 750g/1lb 10oz in total)

Side dish
Vegetarian

Method

If the leeks are particularly grubby, place the rounds in a large bowl of cold water, with plenty of room to swill around. After half an hour any grit and grubs should fall to the base of the bowl.

Pat the leeks dry with a clean tea towel, then nestle the rounds tightly, cut side up, in a 25cm (10in) sauté pan. Pack the chilli, herbs and peppercorns around the leeks, then peel the lemon