Leeks a la Nicoise

On the last Sunday in September I took time out to unwind from an action-packed cricket club dinner the night before with my customary morning walk. After I'd finished my walk thoughts turned quickly to cooking and after a light lunch I set about preparing an evening meal of Leeks a la Nicoise.

On the stereo during preparation of meal was Van Morrison's well-rehearsed and fiery 1984 live album Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast and with the sounds of stabbing brass bouncing between the speakers I commenced preparation of the leeks.

It's fair to say that great care must be taken preparing leeks. The first step is to cut off the bottom of the leek and then peel the tough outer layers of the leek off while scrubbing away any dirt contained between the layers.

For this recipe I used two leeks and after I had cut the bottom parts off and removed the outer layers I washed them and then fried them lightly in some olive oil in my Le Cresceut dish until they began to brown. I next emptied a tin of peeled plum tomatoes into the dish and used the sharp edge of a tablespoon to halve the tomatoes so their juice could run over the leeks and the tomatoes and leeks would cook quicker.

After the leeks had softened a little, which took another five minutes, I added a generous helping of fresh basil and two thinly sliced cloves of garlic to the Le Cresceut dish. After first stirring the pan's contents thoroughly I cooked the ingredients on a medium heat for around twenty five minutes until I was completely sure the leeks were soft enough to eat.

I served the dish with a small sprinkling of chopped parsley. The potency of the fresh basil coupled with the tinned tomatoes and garlic helped transform the otherwise bland leeks into something with a pleasant and memorable taste. The meal was enhanced by the fact that I accompanied it with two fried Mascarpone Quorn Escalopes to round it off in style.

Freshly cooked with a touch of parsley

The meal just before I added the Mascarpone Escalopes