Leeks in Olive Oil
The winter olive-oil dish: leeks brought to a gentle sweetness with carrot and rice.
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Turkish
The leek is one of the most underrated vegetables in Turkish cooking — and among the zeytinyağlı dishes, the one that gives the most flavour for the least money. It is available all winter, stands up to long cooking, and because its sugars caramelise slowly it lends a sweet depth alongside the oil.
The two spoonfuls of rice are again not filler but a matter of consistency: leeks release a great deal of liquid and the rice binds it. The carrot is there for both colour and sweetness, balancing the leek's faint sharpness.
Directions
- Slice the leeks into rounds, wash them thoroughly and drain.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and soften the onion until translucent.
- Add the carrots and stir for 3 minutes.
- Add the leeks and cook for 5-6 minutes until they collapse.
- Add the rice, sugar and salt. Pour in the hot water and cover.
- Cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- Take off the heat and stir through the lemon juice; serve at room temperature.
Tips & storage
Slice into rings, then wash. A leek's grit lives between its layers; washing it whole cleans the outside and not the inside. Slicing into rings and swirling them in plenty of water is the only correct order.
Don't discard all the green. The dark green tips are tough, but the pale green middle is sweet and softens as it cooks. Using only the white throws away half the leek.
Wilt them, don't fry them. Leeks turn bitter over high heat. Cook over medium-low, stirring, until the volume drops.
Lemon at the very end. Added during cooking it dulls the colour; pour it over once the pan is off the heat.
Don't skip the sugar. A teaspoon brings the leek's own sweetness forward; it does not make the dish sweet.
Storage. Three to four days in the fridge. This dish is markedly better cold than hot.
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