Leeks, Where Have You Been All My Life?!

Let’s face it, the name “leek” isn’t that appealing. Sounds like “leak” or “eek” … neither of which is particularly appetizing.

Alas, I should not have judged Mr. Leek by his unfortunate name. For leeks, as it turns out are ABSOLUTELY fabulous.

I had a heck of a time finding them in the produce section this morning while trying to soothe a screaming baby on my hip. I thought I had grabbed them and then asked the produce man if the stuff I was holding were indeed leeks. He said “Nope. That’s bok choy.” Sigh. Thankfully, he showed me what they were:

They look like monstrous green onions.  Phyllis Grazer calls them “a kissing cousin of garlic and onion.” She’s right, although that’s a real creepy way to say it.

I cut ‘em up like this and rinsed them well because the suckers are sandy:

I have no clue if that’s how you’re really supposed to slice a leek, but it worked.

Why did I need leeks, you might ask? I needed them to make Pioneer Woman’s potato-leek pizza. It has homemade crust, bacon, red potatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese, and leeks. What’s not to love?

Let me tell you, it was so, so gooooooood. And you *know* I am not a savvy cook. Need I remind you of this?

I am a little obsessed right now with Ree’s cookbook (thanks for a super Christmas present, sis!). I made her olive cheese bread and enchiladas last week and amazingly, I didn’t screw ‘em up. They were yum-o. If you’re looking for easy, tasty recipes with step-by-step pictures for the culinary challenged like moi, this book is for you!

If you haven’t tried a leek yet, go get you some! And if you have tried them, do you have a recipe you’d like to share? I wanna get leeky with it.