Well, there is always leek and potato soup....but a wonderful and simple way to cook them is to cut off the root, and the very tough tops, rinse well to get any sand out, brush well with olive oil and stick them at the side of the grill with whatever else you are grilling. Salt and pepper as you serve them.
Or add them to a pan full of other vegetables you are roasting in the oven. They pair well with halved cherry tomatoes and zucchini slices.

I love Emeril Lagasse's potato & leek soup! but I don't puree it like he does. :)

This one... the bacon, wine, and thyme make it great!

An offbeat but surprisingly tasty dish is leeks with carrots. There are a lot of different recipes depending on whether you like a touch or sweet or something more savory.

Pie sounds interesting. Not in the mood for soup when Houston hot. Any low cal recipes?

Add them to a stir-fry....

I like Melissa d'Arabian's low cal salad, if you don't add the bacon. I prefer it chilled and the leeks chopped into about 1/2" square pieces - it then looks potato salad sorta, or fat slaw. To get the grit out - cut them in halves or quarters lengthwise, hold the hard green part and swish in a bowl of water. She says to throw away the tough green ends but I put them in the freezer to add to stock that I make in winter that gives it a nice mild green onion flavor.

Leek Salad

They are lovely grilled if you have it going along with other things on the grill. I wouldn't fire it up just for them though.

I dearly love leek and potato soup - chunky not pureed and not much milk. I like it cold too cut in smaller pieces and then it does so remind me of an elegant potato salad.

I tried a popular apples and leeks (with thyme) recipe from my English friend and it was different but not in a so everyday kinda way. One of those "hmmm" things, simple but not a show stopper by any means.

Leeks are very easy to grow from seeds in any climate (you have to plan on when to plant = if you have a long or short season the timing is different. They have a pretty baseball sized white flower that looks like their cousin the purple Allium that is not edible. You can plant them in the back of a flower border (fertilized with vegetable fertilizer not toxic ornamental fertilizer) and they will reseed if you let them giving you flowers and food too though they might not be as fat as the ones found in a grocery store, but homegrown you will have lots more.

Nancy

I made this last week when it was too hot for using the oven or the outdoor grill. No real recipe but I browned chicken 'tenders' in a skillet and then braised them, covered, along with halved and sliced leeks, chopped tomatoes, quartered mushrooms, zucchini, some herbs and dry white wine. When the chicken and vegetables were done, I stirred in some capers and sliced kalamata olives and served it over cooked brown rice. I'd guess it could be classified as low calorie.

I like leeks in chicken rice soup and a pie of leftover ham strips, leeks and asparagus tips in a cream sauce but neither of them in mid-summer.

Finely slice leeks and grate some carrots. Cook gently in butter. This is lovely with some grilled salmon.

In the autumn when we have those little individual squashes, cook leeks in a little butter and mix into a cheese sauce. You can add bacon. Cook your squash in the oven, fill with the leeky/cheesy goodness and put back in the oven for 15 mins or so.

Young leeks - boiled in salted butter, drained, cooled and served with a vinaigrette as a starter. Nice with cured ham.

Boil leeks. Make cheese sauce. Wrap a leek with a slice of ham, line them upin a gratin dish. Pour over cheese sauce, sprinkle with cheese and bake.

Boil, then puree with some creme fraiche. Lovely with fish.

I love leeks!

Sharon CB (Canarybird) shared a recipe a few years ago that sounded wonderful.

Clean and slice the leeks, place on the bottom of a long casserole or gratin pan

next, place some slices of ham on top of the leeks

pour a Hollandaise or Bechamel over this.

Top with grated Swiss cheese.

Bake at 30 for about 30 minutes.

This is from memory, so if anyone has the original, please post it.

PK, I was remembering another dish that Sharon CB frequently served. It was braised leeks. It always looked so simple yet interesting, so I tried it. Nothing to it. Simmer cleaned leek halves in chicken broth, then add a bit of cream. For something so simple, it was remarkably tasty. I remember making it several times, then forgot all about it. The leeks with ham, sauce, and Swiss cheese sounds really good.

What a timely thread, I just happen to have a 50 foot row of leeks in my garden. Some are big enough, some need some more time, but I planted leeks in the place of onions last year and this year. I can get onions cheaply but leeks are darned expensive here.

Anyway, I'll be watching for good recipe to use. I do clean/slice/dehydrate a lot of them, but since I have both leeks and potatoes, I'm looking forward to cooler weather so I can make soup!

Ruthanna, I'm happy to see you here again. That chicken looks delicious, and it has everything that Elery would love, right down to the olives!

Annie

Gordon Ramsay has a one on his YouTube channelbut a search of the web may turn up a written recipe.

I made it once and thought it was pretty good and very easy. He uses sheet pasta but any pasta would work, I used bowtie. A good tip is to slightly under cook the pasta and then let it finish in the sauce, where it will pick up some flavor and thicken the sauce.

It could be a meatless meal, toss in some shredded or diced chicken for protein, or sub out the chicken stock and cream for a vegetarian dish.

I made two of these goat cheese and leek tarts (served at room temperature) for a pre-concert picnic this summer. They were well-received.

http://www.food.com/recipe/goat-cheese-and-leek-tart-508407

Note: I used the recipe from Matha Stewart's Everyday Food cookbook and this on-line recipe has identical ingredients but shortened cooking directions. The cookbook said to use the lowest oven rack and to rotate the tart halfway through the baking time.

I like a sauteed asparagus and leek dish that I make, but it't not easy finding the two of them in season together. It's from Food 52

• Absurdly Addictive Asparagus and Leeks (Food 52)

• 4ounces pancetta, cut into 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch dice
• 1tablespoon butter
• 1pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias
• 1 1/4cups leek, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)
• 2cloves garlic, minced
• Zest of one lemon
• 1teaspoon orange zest
• 2tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 1-2tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a large non-stick pan, sauté pancetta, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add asparagus pieces and leek and sauté until asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add garlic, lemon and orange zest, toasted pine nuts and parsley and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt and serve immediately.

I went w/ French leek pie on Allrecipes and truly loved it. DH considered it a girlie type food but he ate it w/o much protest. Despite people's warnings, I was surprised about amount of dirt in leeks. I soaked 3 times and then did some serious washing after peeling outer leaves. Here they are sliced and sautéing b4 being poured into she'll. Thanks all for your input. My next try will be soup, I think hubbie

Was also surprised about tears when peeling but it is an onion so s/h expected it

Cleaning leeks is one of my least favorite food prep jobs. I usually slice the leeks in half lengthwise to make cleaning easier. That way, I can sort of fan them under running water and see how far the dirt goes down on the interior.

I cut nearly in half but not quite from the green end to nearly the root so that they don't fall apart. Really thick ones I cut into quarters if that makes sense. Then, under the tap you can really get in there to wash.

If I'm planning to cut up my leeks anyway, I cut them up then put them in my salad spinner, fill it with water, swish them around, then drain. I do that two or three times, until they're clean. It's much easier than trying to clean them whole. I saw that technique on America's Test Kitchen, but I think they used a colander and bowl. I rarely buy them because they are so expensive. I need to try growing them instead.

Nancy, if you're still reading this thread, there's no reason to use different fertilizers for your veggies than your flowers. Your flowers deserve the good, organic stuff too, not just your veggies. Think about it, they need the same things. Take your toxic stuff to the hazardous waste dump, and give your flowers the same things as your veggies.

Sally

Leeks are expensive in the States? Aarrgghh!

I think it depends on where you live and what the demand is, and what your definition of expensive is. According to my grocery app, they're $2.15 right now for organic (biologique). Scallions (organic) are $1.49. White onions (organic) are $1.23, but yellow are a quarter less.

Same here at the momen but much cheaper in the winter.

Sally - I wrote that for those who don't garden organically and suggested to use them like flowers in a typical suburban landscaped bed surrounded by grass. I have three 10x10x5 compost piles without any weird things added that I couldn't eat composted.

I got more leeks and made a cauliflower/leek soup. I added chicken for a more robust meal. Such an easy recipe, will make again.

If I can get a leek for under $3 here, that's cheap :-(

I grow leeks every year. Fresh I love a leek pie with Gruyere. I preserve a good bit of them. Some I sautee and freeze but most I slice, seprarate into rings and dehydrate. They are a wonderful addition to any dish. I also like to gind up the dehydrated rings into a powder and add it to the coating mix for fried or baked chicken or fish. The powder is also excellent in soups and stews especially loaded potato soup. Yum!

Like sally2_gw I use a salad spinner to rinse the leeks. For me the easiest way to clean leeks is to slice, separate the rings then use a salad spinner and rinse and re-rinse. Works great!

moosemac, I clean mine the same way. I also dehydrate them, that's how Bud got the Grand Champion ribbon at the fair this year, helping me with the leeks!

I didn't think of powdering them, though, I'll have to do that with some of them. I have a LOT, they did really well this year. It's still in the 80s, so I haven't dug potatoes yet for soup, but a leek pie sounds pretty good.

Annie