{"id":97059,"date":"2015-02-20T19:21:25","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T09:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=97059"},"modified":"2015-03-13T16:13:48","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T06:13:48","slug":"spring-a-leek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/02\/20\/spring-a-leek\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring A Leek"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>February 20, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Jason Ford<\/strong>
\nFord on Food<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Leeks are a vegetable that belongs to the same family as onions.<\/p>\n

It is widely assumed they’re descendant of the wild onions that grow all over the European countryside.<\/p>\n

Leeks have a long, cylinder shaped stalk of tightly packed leaf layers.<\/p>\n

They vary in both length and thickness depending on the age of the plant.<\/p>\n

The immature leek is sold as “Baby leek” and is often pencil-thin, while the mature plant can be as thick as a broom handle.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re white at the base where they have been covered in soil during growth, and the top of the plant is dark green where exposed to light.<\/p>\n

The sunlight stimulates photosynthesis which produces chlorophyll in the top leaves. This results in a dark green, earthy flavored chemical which I personally think smells like old lawn clippings.<\/p>\n

For this reason, it\u2019s usually the unexposed white base that has culinary use, whereas the top dark green section is often discarded.<\/p>\n

Leek has a sweet, mild flavour compared to regular onions. They are a great choice when seeking a more restrained flavour profile, such as soups.<\/p>\n

Leeks are in abundance from autumn through to winter.<\/p>\n

They can be saut\u00e9ed, stir-fried, steamed, braised and basically utilised in the same way as onions.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Leek And Pumpkin Risotto<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n