Leeks

Until the last ten years or so, it was a rare pleasure to find leeks in a U.S. market. Although they belong to the same genus, Allium, as onions, shallots, and scallions (all three of them varieties of A. cepa); garlic (A. sativa) and chives, both ordinary and Chinese (A. schoenoprasum and A. tuberosum, respectively); leeks (A. porrum) are distinct in their mildness and subtlety of flavor. It is true that ordinary onions can be broiled and served whole, as can pearl onions. Even garlic heads can be roasted or stewed in their entirety and then eaten. But leeks are the epicure’s choice among the alliums, mild and subtly flavored. They used to require extensive washing to remove the sand that had infiltrated their tightly packed layers during growth. But the leeks I find now are very clean, although I still check them carefully.