Question
Julie Cannon
Can you give some guidance on what leek parts should be discarded, i.e. how much green?
Answer
So- Actually, every part of the leek is completely usable. Now, there are very different flavor profiles and textures on different parts of the leek, though. More commonly, people are going to use just the white part of the leek, and that means basically you're going to cut off the bottom root part and then anything that goes white up to the green. Now, that's most often what people are going to use in recipes because it has a little bit lighter of a flavor, and the leeks will kind of melt down like an onion would after sauteing for a while. The green part of the leek is definitely a little more bitter, and it's harder, too. So you have to cook them down a little bit more. A lot of people will cook them, do like a fry on them as well, too, to be able to help release some of those flavors. But the texture is going to be a little rougher and a little bit more chewy, if you will. So most people don't typically use the green part on them. Now, that being said, the whiter that green part is, the less hard the texture will be and the less bitter the flavor will be as well, too. So you have to work less to get the white part more palatable. So you can use the green part. I typically don't go more than an inch or two up into the green, and if I'm going to use it, I'm usually going to do it in a soup or a stew or something that will help cook it down for a long period of time to be able to make sure that that texture gets to the point that I want it to be. Hope that helps, Julia.
