Leeks are one of those veggies you see in the grocery store and tend to steer clear of…why…because they look a bit intimidating!! Like, how do you eat them? How do you cook them? How do you even clean them?
Well, actually…there is a pretty specific way to clean leeks. Leeks are grown in super sandy soil, and since they have so many leaves, they tend to have tons of dirt in them! So before you start a recipe that calls for leeks, make sure to get these babies nice and clean.
Here is a simple way to make sure you don’t get sand in your teeth!
Start by cutting off the dark ends of the leeks, and discard them.
Then, cut off the leek root and discard.
Next, cut the leeks in half..lengthwise.
Chop through them…
Rinse them in a bowl of cold water. Give them a nice swirl with yours hands to make sure you loosen any dirt.
Don’t strain! Instead of pouring the water and leeks through the strainer, like you normally would, simply remove by hand…all the dirt will be gathered at the bottom of the water so we don’t want to pour it right back through all the clean leeks!
That’s it!! It seems like this requires time and effort, but it really doesn’t. Do it once, and you will be an old pro.
xo