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leeks vinaigrette

Monday, November 30, 2009 by alana

Well NaBloWriMo, I have honored you. I have rambled, I have pulled recipes out of the air, and I have managed to write every day with only one all photo post. What a party.
It’s been a wild time. Oh November.
And tomorrow, it’s December. Month of my birthday, my two wedding anniversaries (one shotgun at town hall, then white dress and singing friends two weeks later), and two holidays which I can’t quite relate to but absolutely love anyway.
I think…
I think we should keep meeting back here every day. Would you?
Because, well just because it’s fun, and also, because…
um…
today was my last day of work.
I really did it.
So let’s get to it, shall we?

To honor this occasion, let’s talk about leeks. Yes, fancy fancy leeks.
I know that you know how lovely leeks are in your soup, how you must put them in your stock, and really anything else. But what do you think about a little leek salad?
Alice Waters urges us to turn to leeks “in the cold months, when lettuce is scarce.” It is cold, and lettuce is scarce! She tells me that they make “a bright winter salad.”

And so they do. Leeks are related to onions, and so boiling and tossing them with a vinaigrette might seem out of character, but I can assure you that it is a very good idea. The leeks turn a bright spring green, and the richness of their flavor has the most wonderful conversation with the strong mustard vinaigrette. I think I might have hummed while I ate these leeks. Fancy fancy leeks.

Leeks Vinaigrette
from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food
serves 4-6

12 small to medium leeks
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
optional: 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Trim and clean the leeks- cut the root and the hardest part of the green away. Take off any outer layers that look like they need to go. Cut the leek in half lengthwise, so you have half a tube. Hold the top of the section (that looks like a rainbow) under water and let the water wash down through the layers.
Cook for 7 to 12 minutes, or until tender, in abundant salted water. When the leeks are done, carefully lift them out, drain, and set aside.
Mix together the red wine vinegar, the mustard, the salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.
Squeeze the cooled leeks gently to remove excess water. Gently toss the leeks with salt. When ready to serve, arrange on a plate and spoon the vinaigrette over, turning gently to coat. Top with parsley, if using.

Filed Under: leeks, On the Side Tagged With: dinner, vegetables

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Welcome!

I’m Alana, and I write about food, family and the wonderful chaos that ensues when the two combine. If you’re new to the site, here are a few good places to start, or learn more about me on my about page.

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Instagram post 2337331591407595410_13442450 Sending off my taxes today with intention and prayer that they will be used to support programs for the most vulnerable, and that my little contribution will join with others to help move us towards the country I know we can be. #taxmagic ✨
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Instagram post 2319329508599466327_13442450 I did not bake these cookies, as I am no longer the cookie baker in this house. But this is the second time that  Sadie has made @susanspungen ‘s Triple-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies (and also the second time I’ve talked about a recipe Sadie has made from the #openkitchencookbook), and I think these might actually be the best cookies I have ever had. I’m often looking for the perfect ginger cookie and this is it, and I’d also choose it over a chocolate chip cookie (or let’s be honest-any other kind of cookie) any day.
Instagram post 2316311882260313364_13442450 No matter how many rulers and pizza cutters and other magical tools I use, it seems that the straight line will always elude me.
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Instagram post 2311141543964321092_13442450 When I took on a day job a few years ago, I found that the first thing to go was all the homemade stuff I’d been making and writing about over the years. I’m still going out to work most days, but I’m finding now with a full and captive house and more downtime in general that those things I love to make are back. For me, it’s granola, yogurt, bread. Hello, old friends!
Instagram post 2308503311808232748_13442450 All the things in the house pasta: roasted cauliflower, a few sad leaves of kale, one jar of fancy tuna saved for a special occasion (how about Wednesday?), Rosemary, homemade breadcrumbs from the freezer fried in butter, crispy sage leaves, pasta water, salt, so much pepper. Success!
Instagram post 2307412630968777107_13442450 @artbywoodgy made this beautiful thing for me for Mother’s Day. All the veggies are on Velcro so I can plan to my hearts delight.
Instagram post 2306345003953662730_13442450 Happy Mother’s Day to my brave and beautiful mom, who birthed two different humans in such different times in her life. With me she was so young, and she figured it all out just as she was learning how to be an adult. This picture was taken nineteen years later, when she was pregnant again and I was almost an adult myself. Thanks for keeping at it, Mom, and for always showing up with love. ❤️
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Instagram post 2295808104927071821_13442450 A long time ago, Joey talked about his crush on this particular alien-like flower with a good friend of ours. Months later, little bulbs arrived in the mail. We put them in the ground last fall, and now they are everywhere. If that isn’t some kind of magic, I don’t know what is. ✨ (🙏🏻 to @wildflowers1 for the cool vase, too.)
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