Leeks are part of the onion family and look like large green onions. Leeks are generally cooked before you eat them, but they can be added to a salad raw. They give food a bite, but they are not as strong as green onions. Unlike the green onion, you cannot eat a whole leek.

Preparing Leeks

To prepare leeks for cooking, slice them into thin rings. Discard the root fibers at the bottom and the dark green leaves at the top. You want only the white and light-yellow parts. You do not have to slice the leeks. If you are using the whole leek, cut off the root fibers and the green leaves. Before you do anything, wash the leeks thoroughly, because dirt tends to collect between the layers.

Cooking Leeks

Leeks are nearly as versatile as onions. You can pan-fry them in oil, bake them in bread and add them to soups. You can add leeks to almost anything you add onions to. In addition, like onions, leeks can be breaded and fried. They make good snacks for dipping in mayonnaise or aioli. Leeks, though, do not caramelize the same way onions do. They wither. Cook the leeks only until they are tender.

Vichyssoise

Vichyssoise is a cold potato and leek soup invented in 1917 by French chef Louis Diat, who worked at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City. He based the vichyssoise on his mother's hot potato soup recipe and called it Crème Vichyssoise Glacée. To make your own vichyssoise, take equal parts potatoes and leeks and boil until soft. Allow them to cool and puree. Add about a half of cup of sour cream and a teaspoon of chives. You can also add chicken stock or milk.

Source:

Asianonlinerecipes.com: Preparing and Cooking Leeks

Ivillage.co.uk: 7 ways to cook leeks

Startcooking.com: Leeks

More Information:

Finedinings.com: Vichyssoise

Lapetitechinoise.com: Vichyssoise