Does anyone have any good uses for the leftover, dark green leaves from leeks? I hate pitching them, yet I've heard they're tough to eat when cooked.
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I am wondering if you can cut the long leaves into strings and tie up small asparagus bunches 'round the middle or tamales. Well, this isn't a use for more than a few leaves, but it's an idea.
Add them to your stockpot. you strain it at the end anyway, so it dosn,t matter if the leaves are tough, It all adds to the flavour. Jan UK
I chop the dark green leaves and pop them into a freezer bag. Then, when I make soup, I boil a handful with the bones to make the stock. Strain these out when you take out the bones, then proceed as usual.
Julienne (long thin strips) and deep fry them, either dipped in a tempura like batter, like onion rings, or plain, like french fries. If you get them crispy they snap just like potato chips. Then you can crumble them and use them as a topping on soups and salads, like bacon bits. Tastes great!
Like you, I hate wasting anything, especially food. Could you put them in a blender with a little chicken broth and puree them, then make the puree into a cream soup? I bet you could freeze the puree into cubes and add them to other sauces, gravies, soups, spaghetti sauce, casseroles and the like. Last summer, when I picked the basil and parsley from my garden and stripped the leaves from the stems to dehydrate, I also dehydrated the stems separately.
If you like grilled vegetables, wash the leek leaves then cut into thin strips across the grain and add to your assorted vegetables before adding olive oil and grilling them over a hot grill, charcoal or gas. They add a lovely flavor and texture.
can you also freeze them after chopping?
Yes, just try to get as much air out as possible to avoid freezer burn. I often use a straw in a mostly closed zip top bag. I zip it to the straw, suck out the excess air and then close it while removing the straw.
Can you freeze the inner portion of the dark green leaves of the leaks to add to soup?
Hate to throw out something that could be useful.
Lots of people freeze them with other scraps (ends of carrots, celery, potato peelings) and then use the scraps to make broth or stock. Just make sure they are clean before you freeze them, leeks can be terribly sandy inside.
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