A simple marriage this, arranged by Elizabeth David–who seems surprised in the original recipe that her matchmaking is a success.
We had these tonight with roasted cabbage slices and flageolet beans in a tomato sauce.
The three made good company rather than a crowd!
Serves 4
4 medium leeks
3 tbs olive oil
1 glass of red wine
2 or 3 tbs stock (I use organic vegetarian stock cubes.)
salt and pepper
Cut off the root ends of the leeks and pull off the damaged outer layers.
Peel back the tops a little to make sure the soil is cleaned away.
Slice the leeks into stubby lengths.
Place the stubs in a single layer in a suitable pan that has a cover.
Add the oil and a pinch of salt.
and cook over a medium heat until they start to brown.
A touch overdone–some. Next time turn a tidge earlier.
Turn them and add the wine and stock. There’ll be a spluttering–be careful!
Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat until the leeks are tender and the sauce silkily viscuous–about 10 to 15 minutes.
(Add a little more stock, if needed.)
Robin Ellis 
Yum! And thanks for the photos. So helpful.
Did you find them at all gritty? Whenever I’ve cooked leeks it’s after cutting them in half length ways or sliced thinly crossways and then clean them in cold water throughout. I see you did clean the top part. I must try this.
Depends how they look. I want to keep the shape as much as possible for this so I just peel back the tops and wash. You can cut down to the root end without cutting right through and wash thoroughly then slice but you will lose the stub shape a bit when you cook them.
That looks delicious. I never considered cooking leeks this way. Can’t wait to try it.
Indeed it does look and sound delish! I’ll try this weekend. Too much in the fridge now.
Been cooking leeks a la Elizabeth David for many years… her recipes are sublime and have stood the test of time. A true pioneer.