Leek recipes - Our favourite leek recipes so you can make the most out of your organic leeks

leek recipes

Here's a collection of leek recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index! To find out about our leek producer and order yours click here.

Lentil and Leek Salad
Leek and Potato Bake
Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and Fish Pie
Leek and Olive Sauté
Soup au Pisto
Leek and Cheddar Soufflé

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Lentil and Leek Salad

• 500 g dried lentils
• 2-3 leeks, chopped (white parts only)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons raisins
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 500 g spinach, sliced in 1-inch strips
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the lentils in well-salted water until tender, about 20-25 minutes, then drain. Sauté the chopped leeks in half of the olive oil until they are soft and just barely beginning to colour. Meanwhile, place the raisins in about a cup of scalding hot water for at least ten minutes, then drain well. Combine the lentils, the leeks and raisins. Add the parsley, coriander, celery, rice vinegar, and half a teaspoon salt, and toss gently but thoroughly. Add the remaining oil to the pan in which you sautéed the leeks, and stir the crushed garlic in it for about a minute. Add the spinach and toss over high heat just until the spinach is wilted and the excess water cooks away. Squirt the fresh lemon juice on the spinach, toss again, and add it to the salad. Toss the salad again, and taste it. Season with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and more rice vinegar or lemon juice, to your taste. Then let the salad marinate for an hour, and taste it again. Nice drizzled with just a little more olive oil.

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Leek and Potato Bake

• 225 g (1/2 lb) potatoes
• 2 medium leeks
• 250 ml single cream
• 2 medium eggs
• One large handful of grated cheese and/or Breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice the potatoes. Clean the leeks by slicing then lengthways and fan them out under running water. Slice these also. Layer the potatoes and the leeks in a greased baking dish, sprinkling a little salt and pepper over each layer. Mix the cream and eggs together in a separate bowl. Pour over the ingredients in the baking dish. Sprinkle some cheese and/or breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and the top is browned. Tip: This recipe is adaptable for Vegans. Simply take out the eggs and replace the cream with readily available Soya Cream. Add some onions and mushrooms to the dish to intensify the flavour. Very tasty!

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Leek and Potato Soup

• 38 g (1&1/4 oz) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 4 leeks, sliced
• 2&3/4 potatoes, sliced
• 790 ml (1&1/2 pints) chicken stock
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 120 ml (4 fl oz) cream
• Fresh chives (optional), chopped, to garnish

Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add leeks and sauté about 10 minutes or until softened. Add potatoes, stock, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool slightly, then transfer to a blender or food processor and purée. If soup is to be served hot, return to saucepan, add cream and just heat through; do not boil. Adjust seasoning if necessary. If serving cold, stir in cream and chill. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired.

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Leek and Fish Pie

• 745 ml milk
• 740 g cod or haddock fillet
• 3 medium leeks, or 2 thick ones
• 50 g butter
• 250 g mushrooms
• Bunch parsley, chopped
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 3 small gherkins, chopped
• 250 g fresh prawns, peeled
• 8 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
• 12 capers, rinsed
• 400 g puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4. Place the milk in a large pan. Put over a moderate heat and once it begins to bubble, slide in the fish. Continue to bring to the boil, then, just as the milk starts to rise, turn the heat down. Leave the fish to simmer gently until it is tender and the flakes come apart easily — only about 6 or 7 minutes. Transfer the fish to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside the liquid (discard any skin or bones though).

Meanwhile trim the leeks and cut into 1/2 inch rounds and rinse them thoroughly. Melt the butter in a pan and lightly cook the leeks for about 20 minutes or until they soften. Slice the mushrooms while the leeks are cooking and add the mushrooms when the leeks are done. Cook for a further 5 minutes, occasionally stirring. Next sprinkle the flour over and cook for another minutes, then stir in the liquid from the dish that you cooked the fish in. Bring it slowly to the boil. Once it has reached the consistency of a thick sauce, add the anchovies, gherkins and capers and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes. Finally add the prawns, season as desired and stir thoroughly. Transfer the mixture into your pie dish and roll out enough puff pastry to cover the top. Brush the pastry with the egg and pop into the oven. Cook until the top browns — about 20 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a delicious supper.

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Leek and Olive Sauté

• 225 g leeks, washed and sliced finely
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons vegetable stock
• 8-10 black olives, stones removed and sliced
• Medium bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and sauté the sliced leeks gently until they begin to soften, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the olives and the chopped parsley, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper serve immediately.

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Soup au Pistou

This version of the classic Provencal soup is a great way to use up those summery courgettes and other greens. Serves 6.

• 200g tinned borlotti beans, drained
• Sprigs of parsley and thyme
• Crushed peppercorns and sea salt
• 2‐3 celery stalks , finely chopped
• 3‐4 young leeks, finely sliced
• 4‐5 young carrots, diced
• 225g new potatoes, cut into 2cm dice
• 2 medium‐sized courgettes, grated
• 4‐5 handfuls of baby leaf spinach
• 1 handful of rocket leaves, torn or roughly chopped


Pistou

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional)
• 2 generous handfuls of basil leaves

Put beans into a pot with the bunch of herbs tied together, 1.5 litres cold water and a pinch of pepper. Bring to boil, add celery, leeks, carrots and potatoes, and bring back to the boil. Bubble for 10 minutes, then stir in courgette. Return to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5‐10 minutes, remove from heat but keep warm. Make the pistou by blending all the ingredients to a purée in a food processor. Stir in spinach and rocket; return the broth to the boil, stir in the pistou. Bubble up for a moment to allow the oil and the broth to form a light emulsion. If this doesn't happen first time, drop the heat and bubble up again. Remove herbs. For a heartier soup, add torn bread into the bottom of the bowl before ladling in the soup. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

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Leek and Cheddar Soufflé

Don't be put off by the word soufflé! They take minutes to make and even if they don't rise to the occasion perfectly, they'll still taste fantastic! Serves 6.

• The white and light green part of a leek
• 4 eggs, separated
• 50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing and 1 tbsp for cooking leek
• 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 40g plain flour (roughly 3 rounded tbsp)
• A pinch of mustard powder
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 300ml milk
• 100g Cheddar, grated

Wash leek. Finely chop into ½‐1cm dice. Melt 1tbsp butter in a frying pan. Cook leek until just softened. Set aside. Preheat oven to 200C. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat. Brush 6 x 250ml ramekins with melted butter. Sprinkle 1tbsp breadcrumbs into each, one at a time. Rotate ramekin in a circle to help breadcrumbs stick to the bottom and all the way up the sides – do this over the bin or a container to catch any excess crumbs – just tip extras out. Or, use more if needed. Make a roux by melting the 50g butter. Once melted, stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Scrape it along the bottom of the pan to press out any lumps. Gradually add the milk, stirring until the mixture comes to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes, until thick. Take off heat and stir in the egg yolk and cheese, mixing until smooth and creamy. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until meringue stiff. Gradually add white to cooled yolk/cheese mix, gently folding it in by the spoonful. Spoon into ramekins, just to the rim. Run your finger along the edge to ensure an even rise. Bake for 8‐10 minutes, placing each ramekin on the baking sheet. Serve immediately.

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