braised leeks!

i looooooooove leeks.

early this summer mike's dad gave us some sad lookin' leek starts. very sad. so sad in fact that i didn't think they would make it. but they did! they thrived! and we've had leek and potato soup and i've used leeks in all kinds of dishes and then i discovered braised leeks. mmmm.....

i halved the leeks, washed them really well and seasoned them very liberally with salt and pepper. i also chopped up a couple of small red onions (shallots would be great too) and some fresh thyme (all from the garden!!)



i seared the leeks in a smokin' hot pan with a lil' butter and olive oil until they got nice and brown.



i moved the leeks to a couple of gratin dishes and then added the onions to the hot pan. i cooked them for just a minute and then added some veggie stock and a lil' red wine to deglaze the pan. i let this reduce till it thickened up and then poured it over the leeks and topped it with some thyme.



these went into the oven for about 30-40 minutes and while those were braising in the yummy sauce i worked on the rest of dinner.



final menu: grilled flank steak with chimichurri, sauteed cabbage, braised leeks and roasted brussel sprouts. delicious!!