Olive Oil Braised Leeks on Lemony Curd Cheese
Serves 2-4
Total time: 35 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
We’re still debating whether leeks or fresh curd cheese would win the family favourite contest in their own right - so they mean something special to us when combined. Leeks, the highly prized Allium so popular in the UK, makes a tender and sweet vehicle to any brothy affair. Curd cheese, or ‘túró’ as we know it in Hungary, is a soft, subtly sweet fresh cheese made from cow’s milk and reigns many Spring dishes. Having them together is the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth experience. We slowly braise the leek in white wine and Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil to pick up a rich flavour and serve it over the fresh curd seasoned with lemon and dill - for freshness and a little excitement.
Ingredients
For the braised leeks
2 long, thick leeks
2 tbsp Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
100ml dry white wine
150-200ml water
Pinch of coarse sea salt
For the curd cheese
250g soft curd cheese
1 lemon, peel and juice
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp fine sea salt
Fresh dill
Method
- Prep the leeks by discarding the tougher green end. Then, cut each leek widthway into two about 10cm long. Wash under cold water.
- In a shallow pan (it does not have to be nonstick), lay the leeks and pour in the wine and olive oil. Add the salt. Lastly, add the water so the leeks are covered halfway in liquid. Cover with a piece of parchment paper to let the juice concentrate in the pan while cooking. Simmer gently for 25-35 minutes until you can softly run a knife through the leeks.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the curd cheese, lemon juice, and some of the peel, reserving some for serving. Grate in the garlic and add fine sea salt to taste. Stir in the roughly chopped dill. Spoon the mixture onto a serving plate.
- Once cooked, remove the leeks from the pan and add them straight to the cheese. Add spoonfuls of the cooking liquid, a glug of Honest Toil and flaky salt to taste.
