Make braised leeks with parmesan. Be a trend setter. Dare to be different. Leeks gets a bum rap. They are the ignored vegetable. Shunned. They’re not an onion, not a scallion, not a shallot. What are they then? “Hmm… They’re big. I’m not really sure. I hear they are good in soup. I think you can put it in a stew? Maybe? I don’t know… What do you do with them?”
Why the confusion? Why the indifference? Braised leeks with parmesan is a great side dish for any roasted meat or poultry. Or even as a vegetable starter. Put a couple of these on a plate. Drizzle this with olive oil and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve it as a first course. Crazy good. Foodie good.
Leeks are much milder than onions. Braised leeks get this meltingly tender texture. Mild onion like flavour and melting. Why don’t you want to eat them? This dish is easy. Braise the leeks, sprinkle some cheese on them and flash them under the broiler. Make this. Tell your friends. Spread the word. Leeks are the new kale! OK – maybe not – but they are tasty. Give them a chance.
braised leeks with parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks white and light green portion
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano grated
- 1 sprig thyme
- chicken or vegetable stock
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat a broiler-proof skillet over medium-low heat.
- Trim the leeks, cut them in half lengthwise and quarter them.
- Melt butter in skillet. Add leek quarters, thyme and enough stock to almost cover the leeks. Add a pinch of salt.
- Simmer briskly. You want to ultimately boil away all the liquid, leaving only the butter behind. Pay attention. You don’t want the butter to brown at the end. This takes 15-20 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the leeks. Broil briefly to brown and melt the cheese.
braised leeks with parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks white and light green portion
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano grated
- 1 sprig thyme
- chicken or vegetable stock
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat a broiler-proof skillet over medium-low heat.
- Trim the leeks, cut them in half lengthwise and quarter them.
- Melt butter in skillet. Add leek quarters, thyme and enough stock to almost cover the leeks. Add a pinch of salt.
- Simmer briskly. You want to ultimately boil away all the liquid, leaving only the butter behind. Pay attention. You don’t want the butter to brown at the end. This takes 15-20 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the leeks. Broil briefly to brown and melt the cheese.
Chicken with creole cream sauce on a bed of green chili, garlic mashed potatoes. It takes a rustic cajun dish up a couple big notches.
It goes from down and dirty stew to dinner party. Don’t get me wrong. I love a creole chicken stew. It’s comfort food with spice. But sometimes upscale is the way to go.
Same ingredients but done differently
Chicken with creole cream sauce takes the basic creole flavours and refines them a bit. Think cajun seasoning and the holy trinity (green bell pepper, onion and celery). Except I’ve dropped the celery. But for a reason.
Celery is hard to puree. Has that stringy texture. Texture that has no place in this dish. Something lost in flavour. Something gained in texture. This dish isn’t light on flavour so it’s a pretty good trade.
Low salt creole seasoning is key
There’s no getting around this. You want lots of flavour. And that means lots of creole seasoning. Lots. So you can’t use store bought seasonings
Commercial seasoning blends are mostly salt. And if you put lots and lots of commercial seasonings you are going to wind up a really bad meal. Like inedible bad.
So you have to make your own. Not such a big deal. Cheaper. And better for you. And more versatile. Because now you control the salt. And the flavour.
You can adjust salt up. That’s easy. You cannot adjust salt down. That’s impossible. Make your own low salt creole seasoning. Or dial the creole seasoning way back and be disappointed. Up to you. I know what I pick.
Fond makes chicken with creole cream special
You know those little brown bits in the bottom of your pan when you roast chicken? Those are pure culinary gold. They are what takes average to amazing.
You never want to leave them behind. Not ever. There is so much flavour there. When heat hits protein this thing called the Maillard reaction happens.
And when that happens all sorts of new, wonderful flavour compounds are created. It’s science. But it’s magic really.
And in the end that’s what you want. Magic in the kitchen. I’m not sure chicken with creole cream sauce qualifies as magic. But it will put a smile on your face when you taste it.
chicken with creole cream sauce and green chili mash
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
- low salt creole seasoning to sprinkle over the chicken
- 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil to fry the chicken briefly
The sauce
- 1 small green bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion coarsely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp low salt creole seasoning
- 2 tsp tomato paste mixed with 1 Tbsp of water
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 35% milk fat or higher
- salt to taste
Instructions
The sauce
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan.
- Cook the onion and green pepper for about 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the pepper has started to soften.
- Add the creole seasoning and cook another minute or two. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.
- Add the diluted tomato paste and cook one minute more. Now add the chicken stock and simmer, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the green pepper is tender.
- Allow to cool briefly and puree in a blender until smooth.
The chicken
- Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Pre-heat a frying pan over medium heat.
- Season chicken with creole seasoning.
- Add oil. When it shimmers, add the chicken and sear, skin side down until just golden – about 2 minutes. Spoon off fat, turn the chicken skin side up and roast, uncovered, to an internal temperature of 165F – about 30-35 minutes.
To finish
- Remove chicken from the oven. Set the chicken aside, tented with foil.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of chicken stock. Add the pureed sauce and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute. Add a bit of stock if the sauce is too thick. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
- To serve, mound green chili mash in the middle of the plate. Spoon sauce around and top with the chicken breast.
Notes
Nutrition
