Pueeeerrrrros.

Leeks.

Yes they are one in the same, but for this recipe they are puerros because these buttery, soft, savory, spreadable leeks will make anyone purr in foodgasm.

Wow, could I hype this up any more? Seriously though, this is the dish that turned me onto leeks. I always thought of leeks as bland, boring onion stalks. However, when properly braised (in olive oil, butter, and wine) they are just decadent. Please give the humble leek a chance.

For this recipe, I strongly recommend using a quality pan with even heat distribution. Leeks can burn so easily, tasting extremely bitter.

Ingredients:

Leeks- 2 stalks

Thyme – at least 5 sprigs

Lemon- a half

Garlic- 5 cloves, halved lengthwise

Dry white wine- about a third of a bottle

Butter

Olive Oil

Method:

Pop open your wine and pour yourself a glass. I worked with a sauvignon blanc but you can use any white wine you have on hand. I think for this recipe any dry white with floral, mild honey, apricot, or citrus notes would be best. You want a fresh, acidic, but gentle zing!

Thoroughly clean your leeks. Dirt is easily trapped between the outer layers of the leek. Slice off the dark green top and the hairy bottom. Slice again in half or thirds depending on the size of your leek aiming for pieces that are are about the length of your palm. Slice vertically in half so now the layers are all showing. Wash carefully so you don’t completely peel apart the leek. I usually discard the outermost layer if it looks a bit dry.

Heat a large pan with some good quality olive oil over about medium heat.

Add your leeks to the pan with the flat middle of the leek faced down into the oil. You should hear a very soft sizzle- you don’t want to aggressively cook the leek or it’ll burn.

Once all your leeks are in the pan face down add globs of butter here and there- about 5 spoonfuls.

After a few minutes flip your leeks. They are ready to be flipped when the face down side is a beautiful golden brown. After flipping them all over, add the sprigs of thyme and the halved cloves of garlic.

After about a few minutes on this side, flip the cloves of garlic. They should be a light golden color. Also add your lemon half face down after squeezing it all over.

Now after about 30 seconds to a minute have passed, slowly pour in your white wine. A good amount of steam should rise as you’re adding the wine. Your pan should be hot enough to create this steam while not overly hot as to burn your garlic and leeks.

As the leeks and garlic cook, add more olive oil and butter as needed to maintain a liquid layer on the bottom. I would say the sauce is about 2:1:1, wine:butter:olive oil with maybe a touch more butter than olive oil. The texture should be almost velvety, not too thin- a perfect sauce to dip bread.

It should smell heavenly. Once your leeks are golden and a bit translucent they done! This all should take about 15 minutes of cook time. If you think it’s ready but you’re not ready to serve them, just reduce the heat to the lowest simmer.

To serve, keep everything in the pan and just bring it to the table and set on a hot plate. Lightly sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt or coarse ground sea salt and a light grind of pepper. Break out the toasty bread (simple baguette is my choice) and let everyone serve themselves. Encourage your dinner companions to dip, soak up all the buttery goodness and smear on the garlic and leeks to their liking.