Grilled Leeks With Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Charisse writing here today, Eric's been lying sick on the couch since Sunday. He's such a whiner when he's sick, but I forgive him, but that leaves me to write the post myself. I know I have mentioned before about my new found love of leeks!  But truly, they are the greatest! Like a giant scallion, leeks are the perfect pair of any potato, egg or hearty soup dish.  I ran across this grilled leek recipe in Fine Cooking and thought it might be an interesting twist for a warm salad type dish.  I really like the flavor combo of the oniony leek, roasted pepper, goat cheese and basil, although I feel like it might have been too much leek texture.  Next time I think this dish would translate good as a kabob, adding some other veggies like mushrooms and squash.  The roasted red pepper vinaigrette was amazing and I ate  the leftovers the next day with a slice of french bread, I most certainly would make that again over a salad or simply as a dipping sauce for raw veggies and bread. 

Pictures and Recipe after the break

Grilled Leeks
What You Will Need

6 leeks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs djion mustard
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
1 clove of garlic
pepper

4 ounces of goat cheese
fresh sliced basil


Cut of the leaves and dark green parts of the leeks.  Split in half lenthwise and trim off the bottom.  Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large ziploc bag and mush around to mix.  Add the leeks and coat.  Marinade for at least 1 hour before grilling.

Heat your grill or grill pan up so the leeks will sear.  Grill your leeks with cut side down first and cook for about 4 minutes then flip and cook for another 4 minutes until leeks are tender. 

Serve 2-3 slices of leeks per person, top with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette, a bit of goat cheese and some freshly sliced basil. 



Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
What You Will Need

2  red bell peppers
2  garlic cloves
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sea salt
Dash of hot sauce
3/4 cup virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350*

Place the peppers on a baking sheet and cook peppers until the skins get charred and start to blister....watch very careful so they won't burn...flip and cook the other side. Pull peppers out and place in a paper bag for 15 minutes so the steam works on the skins.  After this step the skins should slip off easily and you can open and pull seeds and stem out. 

In a blender or food processor, put the peppers, garlic and pulse until broken down into a paste.  Add the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce and blend.  Then slowly add the olive oil until combined.  Add more salt or pepper or hot sauce to taste. 

adapted from Fine Cooking