Poireaux vinaigrette! In other words leeks with vinaigrette. Classic French cuisine at its best. Such a delicious and yet such a simple dish: super soft steamed leeks served with a zippy homemade vinaigrette.
Have you ever visited Paris before?
Then you might have come across this traditional starter in an authentic French bistro!
Do you like classic French cuisine?
Then you will love this next leek recipe!
Have you ever heard of this one?
Poireaux vinaigrette…
Leeks with vinaigrette.
French Classic
Let’s dissect that one first off.
First off: the French vinaigrette, a salad dressing that contains vinegar, mustard, olive oil and fresh herbs. Sounds familiar?
And poireaux?
Well that is French for leeks. So there you go. Plain and simple.
Leeks with vinaigrette.
There is really nothing more to it!
Easy French Leeks with Vinaigrette
I heard of this dish for the first time in a cool Paris bistro restaurant, Le Bouillon Chartier.
Leeks with vinaigrette or poireaux vinaigrette are mainly served as a starter to boost your appetite.
Just like French parsley ham, another popular starter.
Look at it.
I mean, it is not rocket science.
To give you another popular French starter (also on the menu at Le Bouillon Chartier): oeuf dur mayonnaise. Oeuf dur is French for hard boiled egg. And mayonnaise, well you all know what that is.
So here is what you get: a hard-boiled egg dressed in mayo.
It can also mean deviled eggs.
That depends on the chef.
Easy Summer Starter
So here you go: leeks with vinaigrette.
Poireaux vinaigrette.
It is just great as a fresh starter or a light summer lunch. You can easily steam the leeks a day in advance and assemble the vinaigrette in just a couple of minutes right before you plan to serve it.
Quick and easy.
Do you want to make this type of dish but don’t you like leeks?
Then I suggest that you replace them by steamed green or white asparagus for instance. Or spring onions. Anyway, a vegetable that you can steam and prep in advance and tastes just as good when you serve it cold!
Enjoy!
Easy French Leeks with Vinaigrette Recipe
Another example of classic French cuisine. Super soft steamed leeks drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette, leeks with vinaigrette!
- 2 small fresh leeks
- ½ tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp good quality olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 hard boiled egg
- pepper
- salt
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1. Trim and clean the leeks. Cut them into 3 pieces. Rinse them well under cold running tap water.
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2. Do you have a steamer? Steam the leeks for 30 minutes until tender
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3. No steamer? Use a pasta pan. Place the leeks on the bottom of the pasta pan basket and add about and inch (2,5 cm) of water to the pan. Put a lid on the pan, bring the water to a good boil over medium-high heat and cook the leeks in the steam for 30 minutes until they are very soft.
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4. Let the cooked leeks cool down at room temperature. In the meantime make a simple vinaigrette. Pour the white wine vinegar in a small cup and add the mustard.
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5. Stir well. Then add the olive oil little by little. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
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6. Check the seasoning. Add extra vinegar, mustard or pepper to taste if necessary.
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7. Peel the hard boil egg and mash it using a fork into a crumble.
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Slice the cooled leeks lengthwise in half and divide them over deep plates. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and the crumbled egg. Finish with extra freshly ground pepper. Serve at room temperature.
