Vegetable
Leek
PuerroPorroAllium ampeloprasum var. porrum
An onion that never forms a bulb and tastes milder. The white part comes from earthing it up as it grows: the higher the soil, the longer the white.
When
Around: Oct–Mar · At its best: Nov–Feb
Around: Oct–Mar · At its best: Nov–Feb
Around: Apr–Sept · At its best: May–Aug
Around here
In winter it's a fixture in Catalan markets and home kitchens: in escudella, in stock, as the base for soups and sofritos. Leeks in vinaigrette are a timeless Spanish starter. Note: a calçot isn't a leek, it's an onion.
At the market
- Straight, firm, plenty of white and no bending.
- Green tops whole and fresh, without yellow or dry tips.
- Avoid any with a hard stem in the middle: they've bolted and gone woody.
- Thin ones are more tender to cook whole; fat ones are for stews.
At home
- In the fridge, unwashed, wrapped in cling film or a bag (they smell): 1-2 weeks.
- Wash when you use them: grit hides between the layers, so split them lengthways and rinse under the tap.
- Bought with roots on, they last longer.
If you have too much
- Cleaned and sliced, they freeze raw with no blanching, for sofritos and soups.
- Leek and potato soup, hot or cold; it freezes well.
- Softened slowly in butter or oil, they keep a few days in a jar in the fridge.
- The green tops go into the freezer bag of scraps for stock.
In the kitchen
- Leeks vinaigrette, boiled whole and served warm.
- Leek and potato soup (vichyssoise, if you serve it cold).
- Grilled whole, calçot-style, with romesco.
- Softened as the base of a quiche or an omelette.
- In escudella or any winter stock.
- Baked with béchamel.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 61 kcal
- Water
- 83% water
- Carbs
- 14.2 g
- Sugars
- 3.9 g
- Fibre
- 1.8 g
- Protein
- 1.5 g
Stands out for
- High in vitamin K47 µg · 63% of what you need in a day
- High in folate64 µg · 32% of what you need in a day
- Source of vitamin B60.2 mg · 17% of what you need in a day
- Source of vitamin C12 mg · 15% of what you need in a day
- Source of iron2.1 mg · 15% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- CabbageOct–MarA vegetable that gets better in the cold: after a few frosts cabbage turns sweeter. One head will feed you all week without repeating a dish.
- CauliflowerOct–MarWhat you eat is a mass of flowers that never got round to opening. Its bad name comes from the smell of overboiling it; roasted, it's a different vegetable.
- PumpkinSept–FebIt's harvested in autumn and, whole, keeps for months without a fridge: it was the vegetable that lasted till February. In Spanish, «giving someone pumpkins» means turning them down.