Poireaux à la grecque

In classic French cuisine, vegetables “à la grecque” are gently cooked in a fragrant court-bouillon with olive oil, lemon and coriander seeds, then served at room temperature. This leeks à la grecque is a light, flavourful first course. With a half hard-boiled egg alongside, it is a simple yet refined start to the meal.

Serves: 4
Preparation: approx. 10 minutes
Cooking: approx. 20 minutes (+ at least 30 minutes resting)
Total time: approx. 1 hour

Ingredients

• 4 leeks
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon (preferably unwaxed)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 100 ml light vegetable stock or water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small sprig of thyme
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt

Preparation

• Clean the leeks
  Remove the upper dark-green part of the leek where the green becomes tough. Slit the leeks lengthways, rinse thoroughly under the cold tap to wash away any sand, then cut them into pieces of approx. 4–5 cm.
• Prepare the lemon
  Finely grate the zest of the lemon (only the yellow part) and squeeze the lemon.
• Lightly crush the coriander seeds
  Lightly crush the coriander seeds in a mortar so the aromas are released.

Cooking

1. Hard-boil the eggs
   Place the eggs in a small pan with cold water, bring to the boil and hard-boil them in 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water, peel them and set aside. Only halve them just before serving.
2. Gently sweat the leeks
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan with a lid over a low to medium heat. Add the pieces of leek and stir so they are coated all over with oil. Let the leeks sweat gently for 3–4 minutes without colouring.
3. Add the court-bouillon
   Add the lightly crushed coriander seeds, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the white wine, the vegetable stock (or the water), the bay leaf and the sprig of thyme. The leeks should mostly lie in the liquid; add a small splash of water if needed. Season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Gently cook the leeks
   Bring everything gently to the boil. Turn the heat down low, put the lid on the pan and cook the leeks gently in 10–15 minutes. The leeks should be tender, but still hold their shape well.
5. Let cool and adjust the seasoning
   Remove the pan from the heat and let the leeks cool in the cooking liquid to room temperature. Remove the bay leaf and thyme. Taste the cooking liquid and, if necessary, adjust further with a little more lemon juice, salt or pepper. Preferably let the leeks rest in the liquid for at least 30 more minutes so the flavours can infuse properly. This can also be done in the fridge; then take the leeks out in good time so the dish can come to room temperature.
6. Halve the eggs
   Halve the hard-boiled eggs.
7. Spoon up the leeks
   Spoon the leeks with some of the fragrant cooking liquid into deep plates or onto a small serving dish.
8. Serve at room temperature
   Place half a hard-boiled egg on each plate. If you like, drizzle with a drop of olive oil. Serve the leeks à la grecque at room temperature. This dish is at its best when the flavours have had a little time to infuse; you can prepare it several hours in advance without any problem.