BRAISED LEEKS WITH LIME PICKLE YOGHURT
I am such a fan of small plates – they might be small, but my gosh, they can pack a punch. This perfect plate is formed of braised leeks, lime pickle yoghurt and a spiced tempering butter. It's a beautiful thing to eat.
Ingredients
- 4 leeks cleaned & chopped into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
- 250 g thick plain plant-based yoghurt
- 60 g lime pickle roughly chopped if very chunky
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
TEMPERING BUTTER
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 4 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200°c (fan assisted)/420°f/gas 7.
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Combine the leeks, garlic and vegetable stock in a large baking dish. Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning the leeks once halfway through, until soft all the way through and golden on top. Remove the garlic cloves from the dish and crush them into a paste using the side of a knife.
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Combine the yoghurt, crushed garlic and a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the lime pickle and roughly swirl it through the yoghurt. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
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To make the tempering butter, combine the cumin seeds, chilli flakes, caraway seeds and curry leaves in a pestle and mortar and give everything a rough crush, mostly just to break up the curry leaves. Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the crushed spices and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spices have toasted and the butter begins to foam.
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Spread the lime pickle yoghurt out on a serving plate. Add the leeks on top, then spoon over the tempering butter. Finish with a good crack of black pepper.
Have a glut of leeks to use up? You’ve got to try this recipe too: Leek & Butter Bean Gratin.
I tried this recipe and it was wonderful, I baked the leeks a bit longer to achieve the right tenderness. Added some piccalilli too. Yum!
Thank you!!
G x