Wednesday, July 15, 1992 -- North Shore News ~ 49 Canadians learning to appreciate leeks LEEKS ARE a mild and delightful member of the onion and lily family. THE FRUGAL GOURMET The Bible mentions the vegetable when it says the Israelites, after fleeing Egypt, lamented the fact that they had to leave leeks behind. The feeks had been cultivated in ancient Egypt, where they were a “part of the ration package distributed to the pyramid workers. Yet even though the feek has been. popular since ancient days, only now are Canadians beginning to. appreciate this vegetable. HINT: ON CLEANING LEEKS —'Leeks are often full of mud. To. clean, cut off the roots and slice the leek in half lengthwise. Then cut into pieces i-inch long _and remove those outer ‘pieces that are too tough to eat. The white part will be fine, but as you go up the stalk into the gteener part, the outer layers are tough. Remove them and use the inner pieces, Separate the layers and rinse well in a sink full of water. Drain well before cooking.. LEEK CAKES : (Serves 6 as a first course) I tasted these in Rome where they were used as a first course. It is so simple and so very good -- obviously a peasant dish the cook learned from his grandmother, 4 cups leeks, cleaned and chopped in food processor or chopped me- dium Zine by hand - BATTER 2 eggs, Beaten 1% cups mitk 1lcup fleur 2 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of sugar Sait and freshly ground black Pepper to taste Olive oi! for pan-frying Cut up the leeks and prepare the batter. Mix the leeks into the batter and fry like little pancakes in a bit of olive oil. SAUTEED LEEKS (Serves 3-4 as a vegetable course) Canadians do not often think of a plate of sauteed ‘leeks as a vegetable course.-Yet they are easy to prepare and delicious. 8 cups leeks, cleaned and cut 1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped fine 2 tablespoons olive oil % cup dry white wine Y% cup chicken breth, fresh or canned Sait and freshly ground black pepper to taste Clean the ‘lecks and drain well. Heat a large stove-top casserole and saute the garlic in the olive oil. Add the leeks and saute until they begin to collapse. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, until the leeks are tender. BEANS AND LEEKS APICIUS (Serves 4-6 as a vegetable course) During the first century leeks appeared on Roman tables quite often. Apicius gave us this recipe and although you may not be ter- ribly fond of the heavy use of herbs in this old Roman dish, i: is terribly interesting neveitheless. ‘4 tablespoons olive oi: 6 cups feeks, cleaned and cut 1 pound green beans, preferably fresh, cleaned aud cat into 2-inch pieces ‘ Pinch of crushed coriander seed Y2 cup dry white wine “% teaspoon dried rosemary 1 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Heat a large stove-top covered casserole and add the oil. Put the leeks, beans, coriander seed and wine in the pot and cover. Simmer until not quite tender, then add the remaining dients. Cook, uncovered, until all is tender and the stock is rich. CHINESE LAMB AND LEEKS (Serves 4 as part of a Chinese mea!) This is a most wonderful dish, and even those in your house who claim they dislike lamb will enjoy this. % pound lean boneless lamb, slic- ed and cut inte strips 4 cups leks, cleaned and cut MARINADE 1 tablespoon light soy sauce ingre- - NEWS photo Mike Wakefietd LEEKS HAVE been with us since the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC) and were cultivated and loved in the gardens of Ur in Babylonia around 2100 BC. 2 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or ary sherry ~ Va teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons peanut oil for pan- frying ¥Y2 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine or crushed SAUCE 1 teaspoon light soy sauce 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 2 teaspoons rice vinegar Y2 teaspoon sugar Vs teaspoon grouné white pepper GARNISH 1 teaspoon sesame oil Hot-pepper oil or hot sauce to tasie Cut the meat and soak in the marinade for 15 minutes. Heat the wok and add ! tablespoon of the oil. Drain the marinade from the meat and chow (stir-fry) the meat on high heat until tender. Remove to the serving plate. Heat the wok again and add the remaining peanut oil, salt and garlic. Chow for just a inoment and add the feeks. Chow until they are tender, just a few minutes. Return the meat to the wok and along with the sauce. Chow until all is hot and garnish with the sesame oii and hot-pep- per oil, CHICKEN WITH LEEK BELTS (Serves 3-4 as part of a Chinese meal) This is formal banquet food in - China. 2 ieeks, cut into ribbons ¥2-inch wide, the long way 8 chicken thighs, cut in half MARINADE 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry Ya teaspoon grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons peanut oil chowing 2 cloves garlic, chopped ‘fine or crushed Ye teaspoon sugar Rinse the leek ribbons and. dip into boiling water for a moment in order tu soften them, Set aside. Hack each thigh in two, across the bone. I use my cleaver for this. Marinate the chicken for {5 niinutes. Heat a wok and add ! tablespoon of the oil. Brown half the drained ciiicken pieces and remove from the wok. Add the remaining peanut oil and garlic. Brown the second half of the chicken pieces. for Return the first chicken pieces to the wok, add the sugar and chow for a moment. Remeve from the wok and allow the pieces to cool enough to handle. Tie a ribbon of leek around each piece of chicken, as if it is a little package. Place the pieces in a steaming dish and steam in a bamboo steamer fer about 20 minutes, LEEKS AND JUNIPER BERRIES {Serves 3-4 as a vegetable course) This is another dish that has its roots in ancient Rome. Maybe is has held up through the years because Juniper seems to go so nicely with leeks. 1 tablespoon whole juniper berries 3 tablespooss olive oil 3 cups leeks, cleaned and cut Y2 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned Salt and pepper to taste Crush the juniper berries with a mortar and pestle or coarsely grind in a small electric coffee mill. Saute the juniper berries in oil for a moment. Add the leeks and saute, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Add broth, ever, and simmer just until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Home canning: Kitchen gifts reach out in special ways Inquisitive Cook SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER THERE’S A surge in home canning again. These days, however, it's as much for the pleasures of preserv- ing as the necessity of putting food by, Canning preserves food by heating it to high temperatures, thereby destroying the micro- organisms that cause food spoilage, and the enzymes found in fruits and vegetabtes. In nature, enzymes are respon- sible for the blush of a tree-ripen- ed peach, and the subtle sweetness of a plump tomato. When en- zymes are de-activated during canning, the quality of the pro- duce doesn’t deteriorate during Storage. One of the steps that helps make home canning successful is using proper canning jars and lids. Look closely at a canning jar. It’s made from a heavier weight of giass than jars manufactured for other purposes. Mayonnaise cr peanut butler jars aren’t as thick. They break more easily when ex- posed to the high temperatures .of cunning, Feel the lip of a good canning jar. It’s smooth, wider than commercial jars and offers a sur- face designed to grip the lid with an airtight seal. As the jars cool after process- ing, @ vacuum forms in tie space between the lid and the food or its liguid. To keep food safe, air and microorganisms must not be able to re-enter during storage. A secure seal is essential for safety. The most conimon type of can- ning lid has two parts — a flat disc with a sealing compound and a serew band. A lid for canning jars is made of sheet steel, tinned and lac- quered to prevent rusting. The in- ner white circle has a coating of white enamel which resists food acids. The outer edge of the flat metal lid holds a sealing compound. Lids should be boiled in water for five miautes before being placed on the jars. This step sanitizes the lid, but more importantly it soft- ens the sealing compuund so it hugs the rim of the jar. The lids cannot be safely reus- ed. Buy new ones each year. The metal screw band simply holds the fid in place. It can be used again unless it becomes bent, warped or rusted. Screw bands should be tastened so they are “fingertip-tight,’’ according to Bernardin canning specialists, because air and steam created in- side the jar must be able to escape during processing. : If the screw band is too firmly | on the jar so there is no give, lids may. buckle and lose their seal. Once the air is exhausted and the jars have cooled, the sound of the lids snapping down signals that canning has been successful. As the seal takes hold, you can also see the lid pulled slightly in- ward by the vacuum. Ht can take up to 24 hours for lids to seal. After that you should be able to remove the screw band and {lift the jar by the tid, Screw bands don’t need to be stored on the jars. Once cleaned and dried, they can be put away for your next project.