Leeks The Easiest Vegetable To Manage

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Forget what anyone has told you about growing leeks, there is too much thought and fuss behind it. But first let me tell you a little abut this wonderful vegetable that I only discovered since coming to Bulgaria behind it.

Every autumn you will see almost every Bulgarian who visits the bazaar carrying a leek home with them for dinner. It is a funny sight and reminds me of the Welsh comedian Max Walsh We with his giant leek. The Bulgarian leeks are almost as big! Most Bulgarian however grow their own it is so easy!

They are eaten raw in the main, as a side dish to either the main evening meal or with rakia, wine or beer. It is very rare that Bulgarian are without leeks throughout the autumn winter and early spring prior to fresh lettuce salads coming into crop.

Leeks are not grown from seed here other than the traders who sell the established seedlings on in bunches of twenty. These are bought and grown on in most vegetables gardens and smallholding. A hole is made in the earth and the seedlings planted in, watered throughout the remainder of the summer and eaten from October onwards. What could be easier that that? It is that easy hardly any fail regardless of the weather. The leek is one of the most durable vegetables without any diseases to worry about and take up very little space.

The health benefits are numerous without going into too much textbook detail. The fact is that they are far better for you than any convenience food and of course almost free to grow. Their use other than eaten raw is of course legendary, leek soup a classic example. Here n Bulgaria we have leek banistsa (leek filled filo pastry), a great favourite of mine.

If I had to say which was the easiest vegetable to grow, it would be garlic and leeks. You just put them in and apart from a little watering and weed tidying, you have a feast for winter!

Bulgarian Dill Potatoes

Dill is a herb that I never used to use in the UK. I didn’t know much about it and certainly didn’t cook many dishes that required it. If it was used it was in dried form in a small glass or plastic container. To be quite honest I wasn’t impressed with it at all.

Then Bulgaria was visited, they use Dill (called koper) in many dishes, not dried but unused fresh dill stored in freezers. I can’t remember many dishes without dill being included and of course everyone grows it here. When it goes to seed, which is around now, the dried plant with seeds still intact are used in the bottling of many vegetables such as gherkins, peppers, etc. There is now waste form the herb.

A potato dish was made two days ago was made with dill, which had such a profound effect on the flavour in combination that we just couldn’t stop eating once started. Simplicity with dill as the sole flavour to the potatoes was the key here. I will take you through the stages.

The potatoes gathered were still in the ground and the dill still on the plant growing in the garden only 30 minutes before starting this recipe. But as long as both are fresh it should still work for you.

Recipe For Dill Potatoes

Serves up to 6 people

40 minutes to cook
Ingredients:


1 kg new white potatoes

1 handful of fresh green dill chopped finely

100 g margarine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:

• Wash the potatoes and cut into roughly 2 cm sq pieces.
• Place in a pan of cold water and boil for 20 minutes or until just beginning to go soft. Whilst this is happening preheat the oven to 220 C.
• Drain the potatoes and place in an oven tray. Spread the margarine over the hot potatoes so it covers them evenly.
• Then sprinkle the chopped dill over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the tray into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• The dish is ready for serving.

Note:
The dill potatoes make just as good meal when cold or can be reheated with a little more margarine.