I remember my grandparents used to grow lots of leeks on their farm. Almost the whole production was allowed to grow to a larger mature size, then harvested and kept in a special ground-based mixture for the winter. But in order to let the leeks grow, the green parts were removed once they have reached the size of 25-30 cm. They would have grown again in a week or so, and this procedure would repeat as many times as needed until harvest time. So, grandma used to cut this green parts and cook this super tasty stir-fry, or make a wonderful pie I will post here soon (I promise!) :)
There is one good thing about this green leeks: you can freeze and keep them until further use without any fear that they will taste horribly different. You'll just need to wash them well to remove any dirt, then cut them into 2x2 cm squares (approx.), pack them into a plastic bag and put them into the freeze. And that's it! But note that you should use young green leaves, as older ones could have a slightly unpleasant bitter taste. Both young and old leaves have a dark green color, but young ones are thin, soft and elastic, while old ones are thicker, harder and can be easily cracked.
But let's come back to the recipe now... In order to prepare this stir-fry, you'll need 3 ingredients only, if not counting oil and salt, which are a must for stir-fries! :) And those ingredients are:
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- Cut leek greens and peppers into 2x2 cm pieces (approx.). Peel and chop the tomatoes.
- Put 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a deep pot and add peppers. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until half-done. Then add leek greens and continue cooking, stirring often, until peppers become fully tender.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to half. Before it's done and removed from fire, add some salt to taste.
If you wish, you can make it even more thicker, or maybe a bit thinner. But note that it should be eaten with a fork! :)
Serve warm with your favorite bread.
As I mentioned above, during summer we had a special side dish, our most favorite - watermelon. This sweet and savory combination is a real delight and I honestly recommend it! And if you like piquant dishes, and add some hot peppers as well... Oh, my goodness! It would be an incredible explosion of flavors in your mouth! :) If you, however, don't like mixing flavors, I suggest that you serve some white cheese with it. It won't be less tasty!
And whichever side dish you choose, I recommend that you forget about the fork and dunk each piece of bread into the stir-fry for a full enjoyment...
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Note that you can conserve this dish without adding any preservatives! All you need to do is to put it in glass jars once you remove it from fire, while it's still hot and seal the jars well. Then let it cool completely at room temperature. Keep the jars at cold place (fridge or basement).
Or you can do it another way: let the dish cool completely at room temperature, portion it into suitable fridge dishes and freeze it. |
This is how I packed my stir-fry in jars...