Braised Leeks and Stracciatella
4
- Prep Time15 min
- Total Time1 h
- Makes4 servings
Produced by Stephanie Han Kim, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Ashley Denton, Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.
Hailing from Puglia, in the south of Italy, stracciatella is what makes up the creamy insides of a ball of burrata cheese. It also makes a perfect side when paired with braised leeks.
Ingredients
4 leeks, halved, rinsed and trimmed
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 L Charred Onion Stock, see recipe below, or vegetable stock
8 sprigs of parsley
8 thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
2 cups stracciatella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp jarred peperoncini (pickled Italian peppers), in oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp chopped chives
Pinch finishing salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F.
Cut each leek half into 3 sections widthwise and transfer to a large ovenproof ceramic dish.
Add kosher salt to stock; pour over leeks, ensuring all leeks are submerged. Add parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaves, nestling into stock. Cover and transfer to oven to braise for 45 to 50 min, until leeks are tender. Set aside to cool.
Place stracciatella on a platter. Remove leeks from stock, cut lengthwise and place overtop cheese. Top with olive oil, honey, peperoncini, chopped parsley, pine nuts, chives and finishing salt.
Charred Onion Stock recipe
You'll need our Charred Onion Stock recipe for this braise.
Kitchen tip
Whole leeks can retain grit. To remove it, slice leeks in half and then rinse thoroughly under the tap or soak halves in cold water.
Kitchen tip
If you can’t find peperoncini in oil, you can swap for red pepper flakes.
This recipe was created for us by Jess Maiorano of Toronto's Pasta Forever. Get the full menu for our Italian winter feast.
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