Leeks & Asparagus

Well, you know how it goes; we ate it all. Still, I hear there are people out there who think 3 spears of asparagus is a serving, so this would serve 4 such people, if you can round them up all at once. Better to serve this to 2 people and if there are any leftovers you could always run them through the food processor, thin them with chicken stock, and reheat it as soup. I think that's pretty theoretical, though.

You will have a hard time finding leeks in the market right now but they may turn up at farmers markets. We have them because we grow our own. We just thinned them out, leaving only the ones chosen to go to seed in the bed. Spring leeks require more trimming than they do in the fall, as the leaves can look a bit ratty. They looked especially ratty this spring, given all the freezing and thawing that went on, but there's still lots of good eating on them. I did see that some of them are starting to form their flower stalks, which are tough and inedible and must be removed. All these things are why they rarely get sold in the spring, but for us they are an excellent vegetable and a little different from the parade of green leafy things that is the rest of the May vegetables. And they go very, very well with asparagus.

I'm saying 3 or 4 leeks which is a bit vague, but basically once your veggie are chopped, both piles should be roughly the same size.

2 to 4 servings
30 minutes prep time

3 or 4 leeks
10 to 12 asparagus spears
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the leeks, and cut them in half lengthwise. Check for the blossom shoot and remove it if it is present. Cut the leeks into 1" pieces, and rinse and drain them well.

Wash and trim the asparagus, and cut each spear into 3 equal pieces. 

Put the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. When it is beginning to bubble, add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until they are softened but not browned. Reduce the heat if they show signs of browning.

Add the chicken stock to the leeks and simmer them for another 5 to 10 minutes, until quite soft. Add the asparagus pieces and the soy sauce, cover the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes until the asparagus is just done.

Lift the leeks and asparagus out of the pan with a slotted spoon, and put them in their serving dish. Boil the remaining chicken stock in the skillet rapidly until it reduces to a syrup, and pour it over the leeks and asparagus. Season with a little pepper.

Posted in: Ontario Food