Braised Leeks with Toasted Hazelnuts & Thyme
I love all braised winter vegetables but leeks with hazelnuts are one of my favorites. Braising tough winter vegetables brings out all their sweetness and transforms them into something entirely more than their humble beginnings. In this case, any sharpness is removed from the leeks and you wind up with a delicate, creamy, savory side dish. Braising is pretty much an entirely hands-off technique yielding big results for very little effort… and we love that!
The same technique can be applied to pretty much any veg of your choice. Some of my favorites are: braised fennel, braised raddichio, or spicy braised kale. I hope you adapt the recipe to what inspires you at your local farmers market. Enjoy!
Braised Leeks with Toasted Hazelnuts & Thyme
Serves 4:
8 medium leeks (white and light green parts only), thoroughly washed and halved lengthwise
kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 TB olive oil
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1/2 cup peeled hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 TB chopped, fresh thyme
1- Place halved leeks in a large nonstick saute pan (12-inches). Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Add olive oil and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer leaving lid on and cook for 15-20 minutes until liquid is reduced to a glaze and leeks are translucent and tender all the way through. They may fall apart a bit, which is fine.
2- Check leeks about halfway through cooking to make sure you have enough liquid in the pan, adding more if needed. You want there to be a shallow pool of liquid in the bottom of the pan that is gently reducing throughout the entire cooking process.
3- While the leeks are cooking, toast the hazelnuts. You can either do this on a baking sheet in the oven or in a dry nonstick pan. If oven, preheat to 350°F. Toast whole nuts for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and slightly brown. Cool and chop. If pan, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add chopped hazelnuts stirring often to evenly brown and toast the nuts without burning.
4- Once leeks are finished cooking, transfer to serving platter and top with any reduced stock (ie: glaze). Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts and chopped thyme. Enjoy!
Cook’s tips:
1- Select leeks with the majority being the white and light green stalk. That is the usable part in this recipe. Wash and reserve the dark green tops for stock at a later date.
2- Use a flavorful but low-sodium vegetable stock here. Poultry should be avoided here as it tends to overwhelm the flavor of the delicate vegetables.