Leek Stock: 100 Days of Recipes, Day 59

It feels like it's the pinnacle of harvest time at the Tailgate Markets, with flowers and plant starts everywhere, strawberries and blueberries abounding, piles of greens, radishes, squash, carrots, garlic... it goes on and on (and don't forget the cheeses, eggs, fish, poultry, and meats), and the tomatoes are JUST starting! It's a huge blessing of abundance, and I feel like it anchors my week when I get to stroll an early Saturday morning away through the crowds and chat with the wonderful people who produce all this goodness.

I've also been more mindful of getting as much as I can out of all the wonderful locally produced foods I bring home, and that's included looking at the parts that often get relegated to the stock pot or even the trash bin. I love making good veggie stocks out of skins, tops, and other bits and pieces, and I usually keep a bag or two in the freezer on hand to collect all those scraps. It didn't occur to me to make specific stocks out of just one ingredient (possibly because I have a skinny 'side' freezer, and I have to be creative about the 'stock' items I keep in addition to all my other freezer residents). That was about to change.

My Tailgate finds for the weekend - those lovely, wide, bands
of green are my leek tops!

This weekend, I picked up a generous bunch of beautiful leeks, and unlike those I might get at the grocery store, these have not had their green tops trimmed down, so there was a LOT of extra greens. To be honest, to save time I might just lop off the top third (the really green parts) and toss them, saving the rest of the stalk (minus the bulb) for stock. But they smelled so good, and were just so beautiful, I couldn't believe they wouldn't be good to eat with the proper treatment - I knew they could be a great steaming bed or wrapper for fish, and I had seen them used to tie up a 'bouquet garni', but I hoped for more. A quick scan online showed me multiple recipes using leek greens, so I knew I wanted to keep them for something better than 'just stock'.

Leeks pre-blanche: I wish you could smell this - leek heaven!

They are a lot tougher, and are more fibrous, than the softer parts near the bulb, so I cut them into smaller pieces and then blanched them. Actually, I'd say I did more of a double or triple blanching - not just a quick toss in boiling water, but more of a simmer for about 5 minutes. I was multi-tasking so ended up letting the leeks cool in the liquid on the stove before draining them into a big bowl.

I changed my mind - NOW I wish you could smell this!

So now I have these beautifully softened leek tops, ready for a nice leek tart, or maybe inclusion in a meatloaf, or a curry, or who knows what else? Even better, I have this GORGEOUS leek stock. I really didn't even think about that part when I was simmering away, but just before I was about to drain the liquid into the sink, I got a whiff and realized I needed every drop of this goodness as well. My freezer has an ice maker, so I don't have ice cube trays. I used my popsicle molds so I could get some stock into the freezer for later use. These other two jars will soon become a base for a soup (cauliflower/sweet potato is what I'm thinking right now), and also a braising liquid for other cooking this week.

I had ideas for several uses of the blanched leek tops - they got a LOT smaller,
so maybe one really nice tart for the tops, and several uses ahead for the stock!

This recipe is more for an ingredient to be used in another recipe. In short: I cut up the leek tops, put them in a stock pot, covered them with water, and brought them to a boil. I lowered the heat to a simmer and let them go for about 5-7 minutes. They cooled in the pan, and then I drained the leeks, squeezing out the excess liquid, which I retained in jars and molds for the freezer. The leeks were then double bagged, labeled and also headed to the freezer.

I'm sure you'll see them pop up again in another recipe!

Oven Roasted Trout

Fresh ingredients need very little added for full flavor enjoyment. That's pretty much it. I haven't had as much time yet this season to peruse through the Farmer's Markets and play in the kitchen or at the grill - but I'll be rewarded at the end of the summer in a big way ... that I'll say more about ... later.

For now, I take my opportunities where I can. I got some leeks from one of my favorite local farmers this week, and last night on my way home I picked up a beautiful, cleaned local trout, some lemon and a bag of brussel sprouts. Tonight, I did very little other than snip some thyme from the garden and lightly season along the way, and I had a lovely result.

Preheat oven to 395 degrees (f).

Cut 1 lemon in half, and cut one half into thin wedges, 

and slice the other half into half rounds.

Trim and clean 2 leeks, and slice in 1/4" half rounds.

Cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit inside an oven-proof baking dish, and place one in the baking dish and the other on a cutting board. Place the half round lemon slices atop the 'cutting board' parchment. Sprinkle all but a handful of the leeks on top, and top that with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

Rub the outside of the trout with a little olive oil and sprinkle of salt. Open fillet and lightly salt. Place all but three of the lemon wedges inside, along with the handful of sliced leeks and a few sprigs of thyme.

Close the trout, and score the top in three places. Put a wedge of lemon and a sprig of thyme in each score. Place trout on the parchment atop the lemons, leeks, and thyme.

Place the trout on parchment inside the baking dish, on top of the other parchment. 

Cut 1 1/2 cups of brussel sprouts in half (in quarters if larger), toss lightly with oil and salt, and place them on the bottom parchment, but under the top parchment. (If you're wondering why, it's to let the sprouts retain their own flavor.)

Bake for 25 minutes, then let rest out of the oven for a few minutes. Remove the sprouts, lightly drizzle with aged balsamic, and salt to taste.

  

Serves 1-2 (if you're sharing or just really hungry).