The Underrated Vegetable You Should Give The Melting Treatment

Finding new ways to cook vegetables can be tricky. Once you've sauteed and roasted through familiar favorites, uncovering a new type of produce and preparation can taste revelatory. You might remember when making melted cabbage took the internet by storm – tender bites of cruciferous vegetable reimagined into mouth-watering form. Well, you could take a page from French cuisine, and melt a serving of leeks, too.

Part of the allium umbrella alongside onions and garlic, leeks offer a delectable, sweet, and lightly vegetal flavor once cooked, all while still holding their structure. While underrated in American cooking, both French and Welsh cuisine have long valued green onion's cousin, employing the ingredient in a wide range of dishes.

While you can certainly chop up leeks and use them as an aromatic base, don't overlook braising and then cooking them down into rich, flavor-packed bites. The best way to achieve such a magical consistency is via a patient braise in a fatty liquid. Simply slice up the leek into approximately bite-sized pieces, then throw them in a hot pan with butter or oil. Once colored, pour in a braising liquid like stock or even wine, and you'll achieve the melt-in-your-mouth consistency that drives the internet wild.

Seasoned with salt and pepper and covered with braising liquid, melted leeks stand their own. Yet, meld them with additional ingredients, and you'll impress dinner guests with thoughtful fare. A few simple garnishes can imbue wondrous complexity. Thyme is a common finish, the earthy herb pairing well with the leek's palate — and it goes doubly well if you want to cook the leeks beside a helping of chicken. For a more Mediterranean edge, a generous topping of parsley adds a terrific herbal flavor (and it pairs well with most fish if you want to cook that with your leeks). Want something more experimental? Leeks with spicy pollen breadcrumbs certainly catch the eye. Recipes also often add a dollop of mustard for a spicy-tangy kick and liberally grate parmesan atop — the salty-savory cheese ups the dish's richness. 

Speaking of dairy, you can further twist the leeks into creamy territory by working in heavy cream and a meltable cheese like Gruyère to terrific effect. In Wales, the vegetable appears in the rich rarebit open-faced sandwich, lending mature cheeses like cheddary Caerphilly an oniony spin. Match such a complex flavor profile with a nice white wine — both during the braise and amidst eating — and you'll have a vegetable dish that's equal parts elegant and comforting. Leeks deserve a spot in the pantry, especially when melted into mouth-watering form.