This recipe is so French, and a fabulous veggie starter. Delicious vegetables served with vinaigrette French dressing.
This is a classic of French cuisine but iconic recipes are always a good option in my opinion.
Raw vegetables called crudités in French are great basics in France. It actually consists in serving many different vegetables together in the plate or a large serving dish, one next to the other, with for example: tomatoes, carrots, celeriac, cucumber, sweet pepper, red cabbage, celery, fennel, cauliflower florets, mushroom, radishes… Minced or grated. Served cold or at room temperature. Some cooked, often broiled vegetables are also often added such as leek, green been or beetroot.
Anyway prepared as a whole dish for a starter or as a part of crudités, those poireaux vinaigrettes are a delight. The recipe is quite simple, all you have to do is pre cook leeks (in boiling water or as I prefer steamed), let them gently cool down and serve them with the delicious French dressing vinaigrette, here minced shallots and chives ar added. Try to find small young leeks that are more tender. Trim of rough green leaves.
You may add crunched hard boiled eggs.
Served in a dish from 5 star hotel of Versailles : The Trianon Palace. Pretty isn’t it? Too bad it’s not mine and I had to give it back…
Leeks with French dressing, poireaux vinaigrette
Ingredients
Leeks
- 6 medium leek or 12 young small leeks
Vinaigrette French dressing
- 1 tablespoon mustard Dijon or whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons oil sunflower, rapeeseed or olive oil; or a mix of é of them
- salt
- pepper
Dressing
- 1 shallot
- ½ bunch chive or tarragon
Instructions
- Rince leeks, trim of their rough dark green leaves. Cut leeks into more or less long pieces, as you wish to serve them.
- Cook leeks in salted boiling water for about 8 to 15 minutes according to their size (or steam).
- When cooked drain leeks and alow the to gently cook down (otionnal stop the cooking process by trhowing then first in cold water with ice cubes).
Prepare vinaigrette
- In a bowl, pour mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar. Combine so that it emusifies a bit and pepper dissolve in contact with vinegar.
- Little by little pour oil (I like half rapeseed and half olive oil), stiring continuously.
- Taste for example with bread and adjust ngredients according to your taste.
- Mince shallot and chive
Dress
- When leeks are clod, dress leeks in a dish, sprinkle on top shallot and herbs, dizzle dressing. Leave the remaining dressing in a bowl if guests wants extra.
Bon appétit !
