Braised leeks with sauce vierge
Sauce vierge is a French sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes and basil. Served over leeks, it makes a good vegetarian side to grilled or oven-baked fish, or griddled halloumi. You could also eat it stirred through pasta for an even quicker dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 leeks, sliced lengthways, roots intact
- veg stock
- 2 tomatoes
- 100ml olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
- 8 basil leaves, shredded
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Rinse the leeks in cold water to remove any grit. Top and tail and cut into 7-8cm pieces.
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Step 2
Place cut-side down in a frying pan and add enough stock to come halfway up the sides of the leeks. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until tender.
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Step 3
Drain off any excess liquid. While the leeks are simmering, cut a small cross in the top of the tomatoes. Plunge into a heatproof bowl of boiling water for 45 seconds. Remove and plunge into a bowl of cold water.
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Step 4
Remove the skins and cut into wedges. Discard the seeds and finely chop the flesh.
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Step 5
Gently warm with the olive oil, adding lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Stir in the basil leaves and drizzle over the leeks to serve.
