French Recipe: Confit Leeks with Puy Lentils

Leeks are everywhere here and they cost very little.

Same goes for lentils.

This is a rich and simple dish that slowly poaches leeks in olive oil: a confit. Roasting slowly lets the flavors meld into the oil for a super satisfying vegetarian meal or you can drop some meat chicken or fish on top, as you like.

I also skip the cream most times, but that’s in the recipe in case you want to get fancy.

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K

Confit Leeks with Puy Lentils and Leek Cream

This is based on an Ottolenghi recipe, which is wonderful, but more fussy than I like.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Be sure to:

• Make sure your pan will hold the leeks and the lentils together.

• Use whatever fresh herb you have on hand. One fresh herb is better than a bunch of dried ones.

• add meat if you like - we just cook it then lay it on top.

  

Ingredients:

• 2.2 pounds (about 4 cups) of leeks, white and light green parts, cut into ¾-inch rounds will make it look very uniform. I just cut up the entire leek.
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ tsp thyme
• ¾ cup dried Puy lentils (or green or beluga lentils or any other, really)
• ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2–3 lemons, but less will do)
• Use any or all of the following herbs:
• handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• handful of dill, roughly chopped
• handful of tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
• S&P to taste

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C) with a fan setting.

2. Clean leek rounds in water to remove dirt – leeks can trap a lot, go over them twice. Darin or pat dry.

3. Combine leeks, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a baking dish. Add olive oil over, mix gently, arrange leeks, cover and bake for 60 minutes. Halfway through, you can flip the leeks, but I never do.

4. Cook lentils until tender but firm. Drain and set aside.

5. Add lentils to leeks – add S&P to taste, return to oven. Raise heat to 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes.

6. Take out of oven, toss with ¼ cup lemon juice and herbs. 1-2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar will also work nicely.

Note: for anyone who gets confused about “confit,” it covers a lot of things.

The French government defined (of course) the term: to keep fruits or vegetables in sugar, alcohol or vinegar or to keep meat or poultry in its own fat. Thus, a food immersed in a substance both for taste and preservation is said to be "confit".

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