Leek confit

I'm stepping outside my cookery comfort zone this week. Leeks are in season right now, so...without further ado.



Leek confit
(Adapted from epicurious.com)

1/8 cup (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/8 cup olive oil
4 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Stir in water and salt. Cover pot; reduce heat to low. Cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Uncover and cook to evaporate excess water, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled. Rewarm before using.

You may have noticed that the word "crosswise" is emphasized. Why? Let me explain. (This also explains the absence of finished food photos.)

You see...as I was prepping the leeks, I noticed my son had set up his skateboard ramp on the sidewalk and was flying off the ramp into the street. So I stuck my head out the door and yelled that he needed to practice elsewhere. Like on the driveway. Did he say, "Okay, mom. I know you're just trying to keep me alive til middle school"? Of course not. Mother's Day was yesterday. He sulked. And whined. And complained.

And thus distracted, I didn't slice my leeks crosswise. I sliced them lengthwise. Thinking all the while that this was going to make one weird looking comfit. It was only after I'd sliced all four leeks (cursing under my breath because slicing them thinly lengthwise was quite difficult) that I discovered my error. So I scooped them out to reslice them. Can I say that slicing half-cooked, buttery, floppy leeks isn't easy?

So the finished product wasn't pretty. It wasn't really a confit. More like the misbegotten offspring of a confit and a slaw. But it was yummy.

We ate it with a baguette and a fresh goat cheese from Russo's. And saved some to have with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon some future evening.