In Season: Versatile leeks at their prime

On a warm November day, I was traveling in the Dordogne department of France and stopped in a small country village to admire a 12th-century church. Walking around the church's perimeter, I came across an older woman working in a garden plot in the churchyard and went over to greet her and see what she was doing.

“Planting leeks,” she said. She used a planting dibble to make 10-inch holes in the soft soil, then ladled a spoonful of slurry from a bucket of wood ashes and water into each hole before inserting a young leek and firming up the soil around its stem until just a tuft of small leaves showed above the soil surface.

“Why the wood ashes?” I asked.

“It keeps root worms away,” she said, probably referring to the pest known as onion maggot here in North America. Although I have never had an infestation of onion maggot in my garden, I always sprinkle a little wood ash in the holes when I plant leeks - mostly in her honor and to remember that 1,000-year-old chapel. France is so romantic.

For some reason, leeks are not particularly popular in the States. Yet they are among the most versatile members of the onion family. They are pungent on the palate when raw, yet won't make you cry. Their flavor when cooked is sweet and mild. They like to be braised, but they also can be grilled, griddled and baked.

Leeks add body to soups and stews - even more body than shallots or onions. Slice them crosswise into mounds of fluffy ringlets, and toss them in. Or sprinkle them on pizzas. Use them in quiches. Once you start using leeks in your cooking, you won't be without them.

Now that it's winter, the fresh leeks in the stores are fat and at their premium best.

In summer, you may find baby leeks about the thickness of your thumb and they are fine for brushing with olive oil and grilling, but nothing beats the usefulness of midwinter leeks.

When selecting leeks, check the short roots that emerge from the basal section at the bottom of the leek. These should be fresh and moist, not dried out.

Choose leeks that have a long run of white before the stalk turns green and separates into dark green leaves. Hold the leek with two hands - one at the basal plate and the other where the dark green leaves begin and flex the vegetable a little bit. It should have “give” to it.

If it's hard and unbendable, that means it's old and tough. The perfect leek will be slightly flexible.

To prepare it for cooking, cut about a half inch above the basal plate. If you're a gardener, you can plant the basal plate, root side down obviously, in good garden soil and it will likely grow and give you a new leek next summer. Leeks are one of those crops that once you have them, you will continue to have them.

Because the white part of the leek is forced to elongate over the growing season by hilling soil up around the stalk, you might find that there is some grit under the outermost leaf. I score this outer leaf vertically with my thumbnail and strip it away. If there's no grit under there, you're good to go.

If there is some soil, wash the leek, then starting at the bottom, use a knife to slice upwards toward the green leaves. Hold the leek under running water and riffle through the split leaves. That should remove any soil.

Cut off the thick dark green leaves, leaving all the white stalk plus some of the light green stalk that's still tight and hasn't started to separate.

You can use leeks in dozens of ways by adding them to other dishes, or make vichyssoise or cock-a-leekie soups.

If you find you really like leeks, you'll be in bad company: the megalomaniacal Roman emperor Nero loved leeks so much his nickname was porrophagus (leek-eater). Here's my favorite way to eat leeks.

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Cooking leeks long and slow this way turns their interiors to soft, sweet, delicious pudding that needs nothing other than a few grains of salt.

Make these while you're preparing the rest of the dinner.

Griddled Leeks

Makes 2 servings

4 leeks, white and light green part only

2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat a skillet to medium low and add the olive oil. Place the leeks in the pan. After 10 minutes rotate the leeks 90 degrees, and rotate 90 degrees three more times at 10 minute intervals, until browned on all four sides.

To serve, remove browned outer leaf and place two on a warmed plate.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based garden and food writer. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.