Recipe
Turkish braised leeks (Zeytinyağlı pırasa)
Unique and delicious dish from the Turkish cuisine.
Yield: servings
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Ingredients
- 750 g leeks
- 75 ml olive oil, (I use a mild extra virgin)
- 25 g tomato paste
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into thin discs
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 200 ml boiling water
- 2 Tbsp rice (short or medium grain), or long grain
- chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley, to serve (optional)
- salt and pepper
How I make it
- Cut the ends off the leeks. Remove the outermost layer, plus any other very thick layers. Cut into 3-4 cm (1-1 ½ in) slices, crosswise or diagonally. After this process, I'm usually left with around 500 g (slightly over 1 lbs) leeks. If you're left with a little more or less than this, that's perfectly ok.
- Heat a thick bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and tomato paste and fry for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the leeks and carrot. Fry for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice, water and a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, place a lid on and turn the heat down to low. Leave to simmer until the leeks have nearly completely softened, half an hour or more, stirring a couple of times in the meantime.
- Add the rice and stir well. Place the lid back on and leave until both the rice and the leeks are completely softened, 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it, adding more water if it's starting to look a little dry. The dish should be saucy, but not overly so. Once done, take off the heat and leave for a few minutes. Season with more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a scattering of chopped fresh herbs, if you fancy.
Notes
In Turkey, they commonly use short grain Baldo rice for this recipe. However, since the amount is small, the type of rice matters less. Use whatever rice you have to hand.