braised leeks

Inspired by Sprouted Kitchen, I've been braising leeks lately.  I'm certainly no expert braiser, but I do enjoy Julia Child reruns on PBS on Saturday mornings and have gleaned some basics from her.

Following Sprouted's directions for the leek portion of this recipe, I brown the leeks face down in butter, flip them and add a drizzle of olive oil and honey, let the other side brown a bit, then add maybe a quarter inch of stock and let them braise for 20 minutes.

SK's beautiful Braised Leeks + Muscovado Lentils

Some things I learned: Don't brown the leeks too fast.  Sometimes I get impatient while cooking and turn up the heat too high to coax things to cook a little faster.  With this and other things in my life, I am working on slowing down, enjoying the process, learning patience, and having a much lovelier result.  Also, don't stop braising too early.  You may have to add a touch more liquid if it's disappearing too fast.  And make sure that your leeks are buttery soft all the way through before taking them off the heat. You won't be sorry you waited.

leeks browning, about to braise

Last night, we had yellow split peas with pesto over our leeks, but they're also great alongside roast chicken, a poached egg -- the options are endless, really.

Happy braising!