Leeks: Cold Weather Comfort

A frigid night, at least by L.A. standards, and I'm home sick with strep throat. My food cravings have been weird all day. In spurts I'll feel feverish and completely averse to food, but then all of a sudden a rumbling, near paralyzing hunger will grip me. I guess it's just my body trying to fight the infection, needing fuel for the fire at turns. When hunger hits, though, I'm craving comfort food -- mac 'n cheese, a bowl of rice with butter, English muffin with jam. Basically, carbs that go down easy. On this diet, of course, there's no such thing.

So, tonight, I opted for my best approximation of cold-weather, coated-throat comfort: a leek tart. Leeks are strange creatures. They sure look like green onions on steroids, but their flavor is much more subtle. Beyond potato-leek soup, I never knew quite what to do with them until Molly Wizenberg in Bon Appetit offered up a recipe for what she calls "leek confit," basically sliced leeks made soft by a lot of butter and a little slow cooking. The result is divine -- the leeks have an earthy, peppery flavor with the consistency of buttered noodles (who needs mac 'n cheese?). Here's the recipe:

Leek Confit
(from Bon Appetit)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 large leeks (white and pale green parts only) halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Stir in water and salt. Cover pot; reduce heat to low. Cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, 20-25 minutes. Uncover and cook to evaporate excess water, 2-3 minutes.

The confit would be great as a side dish (Molly recommends serving it alongside salmon or scrambled eggs), but I wanted it to be the main attraction, so I folded it into a tart of my own devising. It's sort-of a crustless quiche of eggs, yogurt, and vegetables. I've made this before with spinach, but the leek filling is now my favorite. If you can tolerate cow's milk cheese, sprinkle some shaved or grated parmesan on top for a golden, bubbly finish. It pairs well with some mild sausage (I like Shelton's Italian Turkey Sausage links, which are studded with fennel seeds). Voila! Comfort food sans yeast! Now if only my throat would cooperate...

Leek Tart
2 large eggs
1 7 oz. container Fage 2% (or other brand) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Leek confit
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2.5 oz. grated parmesan (I like Trader Joe's Shaved Grana Padano Parmesan)

Preheat the oven to 375. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk. Add in the Greek yogurt and whisk until smooth. Add the sea salt and the leek confit and stir with a spoon until blended. Grease the bottom of a pie pan with the butter and pour in the leek/egg mixture. Top with the grated parmesan. Bake until the eggs are set and the top is golden, 25-30 minutes. Let cool a bit. Slice and enjoy.