Griddled Leeks With Hazelnut Dressing Recipes

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.

HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the skins split and the flesh turns deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While they are still hot, rub the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins (some will remain). Coarsely chop.
• Heat the hazelnuts, olive oil, and shallot in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the shallot softens, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Stir together the vinegar, lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour in the hazelnut oil and then the hazelnut mixture in a slow, steady stream; whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

GRILLED LEEKS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the romesco sauce. Preheat the broiler, and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet, and place under the broiler at the highest setting. Broil for two to four minutes until charred on one side. Turn over, and broil on the other side for two to four minutes until charred. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Peel and core.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic cloves. When the garlic is chopped and adheres to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the toasted almonds (or almonds and hazelnuts), bread and chili powder or flakes to the bowl. Process into a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With the machine running, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream. Process until well mixed, then scrape into a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt as desired. If possible, allow the sauce to stand for an hour at room temperature before using.
• Cut away the dark green ends of the leeks. Trim the root end. Cut fat leeks lengthwise into quarters, and rinse thoroughly under cold water to wash away any sand. If your leeks are 1/2 inch in diameter they needn't be cut; if they are between 1/2 inch and an inch, you can just cut them in half.
• Bring an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Place the leeks in the steamer, and steam 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Prepare a medium-hot grill. Grill the steamed leeks for five minutes, turning often, just until grill marks appear. Remove from the heat, and serve with romesco sauce.