Lovely Leeks!
- Becca Wilson
- Oct 16, 2017
- 3 min read
I arrived in Edinburgh early Friday morning. Since then I have been busy catching up with family and friends, finding some very tasty veggie GF food, drinking a few glasses of bubbles, pottering around Edinburgh and I've been to the cinema twice. My lovely friend (who I've known for over 20 years) picked me up from the airport. We talked and talked, and it felt like I hadn't been away.
I then met my mum in town for the first of many lunches out. 'Las Iguanas' is a favourite of ours, because the food and cocktails are reasonable, and there are a lot of veggie and gluten free options. The dish I had on Friday has been my favourite to date. I had cauliflower and corn quinotto - 'A Peruvian-style quinoa risotto with smoked cheese, roasted cauliflower & charred baby corn, topped with puffed quinoa & crispy chilli'. I would definitely recommend it! In terms of veggie GF food in Edinburgh, there now tends to be a few different options anywhere you go. So far, I have found a cute little bistro in Morningside called the 'Salt Cafe'. It was a very relaxed eatery which served brunches and lunches with lots of options - there were a few dishes I wanted to try. I was craving goats cheese and that's what I had. It was a very generous portion served on a bed of rocket, radicchio, tomatoes and sunflower seeds. I also had a similar salad on Sunday at 'Henris' French bistro in Stockbridge. I could probably live off goats cheese and salad. The word 'Vegetarian' has only just started appearing in France and this bistro was typically French with more meat options than veggie. However, they did have a couple options. I have also taken a trip to 'Mimis' Bakehouse in Corstorphine. I was pleasantly surprised by all of their GF cake choices - I just had to try their raspberry brownies to check how they compared with my favourite bake to make. Theirs were equally as good.
I have loved being back in the city. Even though I was born here and have lived here most of my life, it's fun to be a 'tourist' in your own city and it means you take in your surroundings a little more. Last night after a trip to the cinema, we fancied a warm hearty meal and after looking through one of the best veggie cookbooks 'Take One Veg' I found a dish I wanted to try. It was quick to make and all I served it with was roasted carrot, pepper, tomato, onion, garlic and butternut squash. Perfect. Below is the recipe to make this tasty dish of baked leeks with a tarragon crumb:
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
* 4 leeks, cut into 1-2cm rounds
* A thick slice of butter
* 1 tbsp plain GF flour
* 200ml hot vegetable stock
* 200ml semi skimmed milk
* 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
* Salt and pepper to season
For the crumble:
* 150g butter, softened
* 300g plain GF flour
* 2 tbsp roughly chopped tarragon leaves
* 1 tsp English mustard powder
* 100g grated cheddar
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the leeks in a large pan with the butter. Cover and gently sweat the leeks over a medium low heat for 10-12 minutes, until they have softened and cooked through but not coloured. Stir occasionally to prevent the leeks catching on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the plain flour to the leeks and stir it through until it has all but disappeared. Pour in the stock, milk and mustard, season and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
3. Empty the creamy leeks into a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish. Set aside to cool a little.
4. To make the crumble, rub the softened butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs - your hands are the best tool for this job. Add the tarragon, mustard powder and cheddar. Mix thoroughly, creating small clusters of crumb mix. Use your hands to clump the mixture together a little, adding a few drops of water if needed. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the creamy leeks mix and press down gently.
5. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and the leeks are bubbling up from the bottom.
How easy is that?! As I've been writing this blog, I've been enjoying smashed avocado, hummus, rocket and tomato on a GF M & S sandwich thin. They are really versatile. I also had a look at the range of Free From foods in Morrison's - wow what a range of pastas, snacks, flours and breads they had. I was really impressed.
I'm going to make some of my favourite red pesto for dinner tonight to finish off another lovely day of pottering around Edinburgh. Enjoy the rest of your Monday.
Thanks
X v gf x
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