Charred Leeks With Anchovy Dressing Recipes

LEEKS WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER

Steps:

• Using cooking twine, tie the leeks into two bunches. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the leeks and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drop into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain, then press out excess water on a towel. Set cut-side up in a large baking dish.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the butter, anchovies, parsley, basil, shallot and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until well blended and the anchovies have dissolved into a paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spread the butter mixture over the cut sides of the leeks. Bake for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Squeeze over more lemon juice, if you like.

CHARRED TOMATOES WITH EGG, ANCHOVIES AND BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• Make the bread crumbs: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put bread cubes in a mixing bowl, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet in one layer and bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool. When cool, crush into very coarse crumbs.
• Make the vinaigrette: Put the garlic in a small bowl with the vinegar, mustard and a pinch of salt. Whisk in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Set aside.
• Prepare a charcoal grill or light the broiler. Cut larger tomatoes into 1-inch-thick slices or leave smaller ones whole. Place tomatoes on the hottest part of the grill and let them char for about 3 minutes on one side if using a broiler, or place tomatoes on a baking sheet as close to the flame as possible. Tomatoes should still be firm.
• Place tomatoes and eggs on a platter or divide among 4 plates. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spoon dressing over. Drape anchovy fillets over eggs and add a generous handful of bread crumbs. Garnish with basil, parsley and crushed red pepper.

CHARRED LEEKS WITH ANCHOVY DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat the grill to its highest setting and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Wash the leeks, remove and discard the outer layers and add to the pan. Cook for 2 mins until starting to soften, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Once cold, drain, pat dry and cut in half lengthways, put on a baking tray, cut-side down, rub over 2 tbsp of the oil and season.
• Blitz the garlic and the anchovies in a mini food processor to form a paste. With the motor running, add the mustard, 2 tbsp lemon juice, the egg yolks and some seasoning, then gradually add the rest of the oil, drop by drop, until the sauce has thickened and emulsified. Stir in the Parmesan, taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, if you like. Divide the dressing between two bowls. Add water to one bowl until it is a drizzling consistency. Store the other bowl in the fridge for another day - it works well with roast lamb or in sandwiches. Will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
• Grill the leeks for 5 mins until charred, then transfer to a serving platter, scatter over the hazelnuts and parsley, and drizzle with the anchovy dressing.

LEEKS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil and season liberally with salt.
• Trim the leeks at the root ends, keeping the leeks intact. Cut the leeks where the light green meets the darker green. Save the darker green section for stock. Split the leeks in half lengthwise, again leaving the roots intact. Put the leeks in a large bowl of water and let it sit for a minute. Rinse the dirt from the insides of the leeks by lightly separating the layers and allowing the water to wash the dirt out. Tie the leeks in 3 places with butcher's twine to hold shut.
• Add the leeks to the pot of water and let it come back to a simmer. Boil the leeks until they are very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to paper towels and remove the twine. Separate each leek into 2 halves.
• In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustards, garlic, shallots and salt and pepper. Spread some of the vinaigrette on the bottom of an 8-inch square dish.
• While the leeks are still warm, remove the outer layer of each; lay the leeks cut-side down in the vinaigrette in the dish. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the leeks. Cover and chill the leeks in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Arrange the leeks on a platter and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Garnish with the hazelnuts, eggs and chives. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the leeks and serve.