I'm Definitely LEEKIN that $*** -"Martin Lawrence"

Not too long ago I received 4 beautiful leeks in my organics box. I had heard my friends, Chris and Electra talk about how much they loved leeks at work, but never had an actual reason or desire to buy them myself. Thank you Boston Organics for, once again, forcing me out of my comfort zone. I suspect a lot of people feel the same way I do about leeks. Sure, they’re a terrific idea, but whaaaat to do with them? I know they have a oniony flavor which works great for me because I seriously love onions, but I didn’t want to waste this beautiful vegetable just chopping it up and replacing onions with it in one of my regular recipes. I wanted to showcase it.

That’s when I took a little help from Martha Stewart. I typically don’t like her recipes because they just usually seem too labor intensive for someone who’s not spending their time in an 8x8 box! But this one seemed super easy, so I went for it slightly against my own good sense.

Here’s her recipe for a delicious leek and gala apples (some of my favorite types of apples by the way) side dish.

2 Leeks, halved lengthwise and cut across in 2” pieces

4 Gala apples, cored and cut into 1/4” slices then halved crosswise

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

s&P

Before Honey & Vinegar

Before you cook anything, make sure you separate your leek pieces and soak them in a bowl of water. Swish them around to get the sand out, drain and repeat. Leeks tend to carry a lot of dirt in them because of their layers and they way they grow. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and fennel seeds to your pan. Stir occasionally about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook, tossing occasionally until they are tender (approximately 3 to 4 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in honey and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dearest Martha serves this with a pork tenderloin. But it was fish night in my house so I fixed one of my go to grilled fish recipes that is easy and has big flavor. I make it with yellow curry powder and
 I thought the fennel and curry would go together better for a more cohesive dinner than Martha’s pork! That’s right, I said it! And I was right!!!

Final Product

Here’s my super easy yellow curry fish recipe.

Tilapia

Curry Powder

Fresh Ginger, frozen

Sprinkle the tilapia with curry powder and grate the frozen ginger over it with a hand grater. Let it sit for a couple minutes before turning it over so the frozen ginger melts into the fish. Repeat on the other side. You can then cook your fish in whatever tool is easiest for you at the time. I like to use my indoor Cuisinart grill, but a cast iron skillet works just as well. Grill the fish until cooked through (about 4 minutes per side).

These two dishes were perfect together and I finally tamed the leek beast! So throw your leek fears to the wind and get to it friends!

Salud!