Fishies Again
Marianne made some delectably sweet braised leeks and a couple of weeks later I was still thinking about them. Unfortunately she was out of town by then and I couldn’t get her recipe, so I cast around for another recipe and found one using what has become one of my favorite additions to vegetables: anchovies.
Leeks With Anchovy Butter
6 ea thin leeks -- trimmed, halved lengthwise, and washed
4 tbsp butter -- softened
4 ea anchovy fillets -- drained and rinsed
1 tbsp minced parsley
1 tsp minced basil
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Heat oven to 450F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except leeks and mix thoroughly -- mashing on anchovies to break them up.
Tie the leeks into two bunches using cooking twine, add the leeks to the boiling water, and cook until tender -- about 7 minutes. Immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and drain. Place leeks between towels and press out excess water. Place cut-side up in a large baking dish.
Spread the butter mixture over the cut sides of the leeks and bake for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Squeeze over more lemon juice, if you like.
Recipe originally appeared in New York Times.
Kevin Weeks is a Gather food correspondent (Paisano), personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" is a column focused on peasant dishes from around the world. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month.
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Comments: 20
They have a delightfully mild onion flavor. Very good vegs.
Me too.
Sonia,
The wee fishies are a perfect complement to the leeks.
Those "wee fishies" have a rare magic whe used with descretion and thoughtful consideration.
Anchovy paste? It's a staple in my kitchen.
Let me know what you think.
Jean,
They're very wasy to make.
I just made Leek and Potato soup for the first time. It was good, but there was something missing. You won't believe it, but because the texture reminded me of squash soup I added some Pumpkin Pie Spice. (I didn't have any just plain reg. Cinnamon) It was a hit!
That's an intrigueing idea. I'll try to remember it.
I just could not imagine it....Although I have tried tomato, onion and garlic paste in tubes before, I could not imagine the "wee fishies" paste!
I use in a number of things, but primarily in tomato sauces.
It is, the leeks with a hint of anchovy flavor are marvelous.