Leeks

Leeks, like onions, are a vegetable usually relegated to a supporting role as a flavour base in stews, stocks and sauces. But they can also be used as a vegetable in their own right, as evident in French cooking, with dishes such as vichyssoise, leek and potato soup; flamiche, leek pie; and leeks à la grecque, a recipe that pays homage to the Greek method of preparing vegetables in a wine-based stock.

The thick white stems of cultivated leeks are blanched by piling up dirt around them as they grow. Some recipes ask for just the white part, but most of the leek can be used if it is young and the green leaves are not too tough, otherwise, discard the coarse green tops. Like onions, they need to be cooked for a reasonable amount of time or they will be crunchy rather than tender and sweet; however, if overcooked, they will go slimy.