Leek is a vegetable that is related to the common onions common to all onions. However, in fact, it has one main difference - taste. It is easy to see that leek has a softer, creamier taste than onion. It is thanks to this distinction that he is incredibly loved by many gourmets.
What is the value of such a product and what can be cooked with it? More on this later.
The benefits of leek
Leek is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals that the human body needs for normal development and daily life. As nutritionists note, the most important part of such an onion is the white part of the stem - it is in it that all useful trace elements are concentrated. The greens of the product are rather scarce on such components, however, despite this, many gourmets are very fond of eating it, and in many recipes with leeks it is found as an ingredient.
Onion contains a large amount of carotene, which favorably affects a person’s vision and hair condition. In addition, it contains iron, folic acid, sodium, potassium and phosphorus, as well as protein. The structure of leek has a huge amount of essential oils that increase the human immunity, and also have a beneficial effect on the skin condition.
The composition of the product in question also contains a high content of vitamins of groups B, C and E.
In this regard, the vegetable is widely used in the field of medicine (treatment of rheumatism, vitamin deficiency, gout, rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases and liver problems), as well as in cosmetology and dietetics. In addition to all this, with the regular use of such a product, a person's level of vital energy increases significantly, which, of course, is a positive effect.
Harm
In addition to useful properties, leek has a small amount of harmful. The use of such a vegetable for food is strictly contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, since its essential oils irritate the mucous membrane of these internal organs. Its use is not recommended for people with allergic reactions to this product or to nickel, which is contained in it.
Doctors also do not advise eating leek to those people who are characterized by high blood pressure or an allergic reaction such as hives. Nursing mothers should also refrain from using leek in food - with breast milk, its components can enter the baby’s stomach and cause irritation.
How to choose the leek
Properly selected ingredients are the key to a deliciously prepared dish. How to choose a delicious leek? The photo below shows the perfect vegetable that will give any dish a unique flavoring bouquet.
When purchasing this variety of onions on the market, it is recommended to pay attention to its color: the ideal leek will have evenly colored green leaves and a white bottom. Not a single part of it should have any extraneous inclusions.
A delicious onion will have a large stem diameter - about 1.5 cm or more, and its surface should be smooth, without cracks.
Warm Leek Salad
You can please your household with an original and healthy salad with leek. Before starting its preparation, you should make the sauce. To do this, in one dish you need to mix the juice squeezed from half a lemon, a quarter teaspoon of sweet chili sauce, and also a teaspoon of soy sauce. To these ingredients you need to add a couple of crushed cloves of garlic and mix thoroughly.
A couple of chicken breasts should be washed, dried and, cut into strips, fry for 4-5 minutes in a hot frying pan using olive oil. After it cools down, pre-washed, peeled and chopped bell peppers, one carrot, and three leek stalks should be added to the general deep plate. The whole mass should be seasoned with pre-prepared sauce and finely chopped parsley. In this composition, the salad should be sent to fry in a pan for a couple of minutes. After the allotted time, the salad can be removed from the stove and served hot.
Cream soup
Delicious and low-calorie leek soup can be cooked in a short time. To do this, take 50 g of red lentils and, after thoroughly washing it several times, cook until fully cooked, without adding salt.
In the meantime, in a pan with a thick bottom, you need to heat a teaspoon of sunflower oil, add 6 cm of leek to it and after a while pour 1.5 cups of broth (you can use water). As soon as everything begins to boil, 150 g of celery and carrot root, previously chopped with straws, must be sent to it. In this composition, the ingredients need to be cooked for 15 minutes.
After the specified time, add a teaspoon of adjika and pre-cooked lentils to the pan. Soup should be salt and pepper to taste.
At the end of cooking, squeeze the juice of one orange into the soup and, giving it a slight boil, grind all the contents with a blender. When serving, you can decorate the finished dish with parsley.
Onion pie
Few housewives practice making pie with leek, and in vain - in fact, it turns out a very tasty dish.
For such a unique product, you should properly prepare a magnificent dough. To do this, in one dish you need to combine a glass of kefir, three chicken eggs, 200 g of mayonnaise, 1.5 cups of sifted flour, as well as a small amount of salt, sugar and a bag of baking powder for the dough. Of the combined ingredients, you need to knead the dough, for greater airiness of which you can use a mixer. In finished form, it should be set aside for fifteen minutes.
In the meantime, you can prepare leeks. Its stems need to be washed, dried and fried in copious amounts of vegetable oil on all sides. At the end of the cooking process, the vegetable should be lightly pepper and salt.
When all the components are ready, you need to do the formation of the pie. To do this, half the dough must be poured into a pre-prepared and greased form, put the fried onions and cover it with the rest of the dough. In this form, the cake should be baked for half an hour in the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
Onion and chicken
Another original leek recipe is stewing with chicken. In order to get a delicious dish at the exit, you need to cut 400 g of chicken fillet into pieces and leave it to dry. In the meantime, you need to wash and cut the onion stalk into small pieces, fry it in a hot pan with vegetable oil and combine with chicken - in this composition, you need to fry the ingredients, stirring occasionally. When the chicken with leeks have reached a state of readiness, you should pour plenty of them with a mixture made of 4 tbsp. l soy sauce and a teaspoon of honey.
The contents need to be extinguished a couple of minutes over low heat, after which the finished dish can be served hot.
Roasted leek can be used with other types of meat.
Fish with onions
The process of making leeks with fish is simple. In order to make a tasty dish, you can use salmon fillet, for example, salmon. The fish must be washed, dried with a paper towel and cut into small pieces.
To prepare such a dish, it is optimal to use only the white part of the onion stalk - they will need 3 pieces. Onions should be pre-washed, dried and chopped. After that, in a hot pan, fry the chopped vegetable using butter (40 g). As soon as it begins to acquire a golden hue, fish should be sent to the leek. In this composition, the ingredients should be fried for 15 minutes.
After the specified time, salmon need to pour 300 g of cream and simmer in this form on the slowest fire for about 4 minutes.
Vegetables with mushrooms and cheese
Another recipe with leek, following which, you can cook a delicious diet dish. To do this, use only fresh vegetables and mushrooms, which must first be washed and peeled and all that is unnecessary.
At the bottom of a greased baking dish, put three potatoes, cut into circles. A crushed apple (preferably with acidity), 100 g of the green part of the leek, 150 g of cauliflower and broccoli, as well as carrots and 250 g of mushrooms (champignons are best used) are laid on top of them. Each layer should be pepper and salt.
After the whole structure is assembled, 150 g of hard cheese should be sprinkled on top of it, greased with a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and left in this form for 10 minutes.
After this period, the vegetables must be sent to a preheated oven to 180 degrees and baked in it for twenty minutes, until a golden crust is formed.
Paste
Traditional Italian cuisine has a dish such as pasta with seafood and leek. You can cook it very easily and quickly.
At the very beginning, you should boil 250 g of paste according to the instructions on the package. While it is boiling, you can start preparing supplements to it. To do this, 500 g of shrimp need to be cleaned and fried in a hot pan, using a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. At the end of this procedure, the contents need to be salt and pepper to taste. After that, without reducing the heat, add 50 g of chopped leek and the same amount of butter to the pan. In such a composition, it is necessary to continue the frying process for three minutes, after which a glass of cream must be poured into the products and, waiting for them to thicken, remove the mass from the heat.
After the pasta is ready, you need to drain the water from it and mix with cream sauce and serve.
Leek with ham
This dish can be a great snack for any feast, it can also be used as breakfast. To prepare such a dish, you need to take 400 g of the stems of this vegetable, wash them and cut into large pieces (about 2 cm). They should be placed on a hot frying pan, greased with oil, lightly fry and, pouring a little water, put out a little. At the end of this procedure, the onions need to be thrown back onto a sieve and allowed to dry slightly.
In the meantime, you need to thoroughly grease the baking dish with butter. At its bottom, put four to five pre-cooked potatoes, cut into circles, and 200 g of ham, cut into large cubes. Some culinary experts recommend using smoked meat for preparing such a dish - a ready-made snack will have an amazing aroma. On top of the meat or ham you need to lay out leek.
In a separate bowl, it is recommended to mix three chicken eggs, a tablespoon of milk, a small amount of salt and thoroughly beat everything until a homogeneous consistency. The finished mass needs to pour vegetables with ham. On top of the whole structure, you can lay out a small amount of meat.
In this form, the dish should be baked in the oven at a low temperature until the state of complete readiness of all ingredients.