These delicious melt-in-your-mouth soft braised leeks are easy to prepare and make the perfect vegan side dish to accompany your roast lunch or on top of a jacket potato or even on toast!
Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the leeks and sauté over the heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes until nicely browned. Then add the garlic and stir over the heat for another minute until browned.*
2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 leeks, 2 garlic cloves
Once browned, add the vegetable stock and the rest of the ingredients, stir well, put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Simmer over the low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
250 ml vegetable stock, 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, a pinch of salt and black pepper
It is ready when the leeks are meltingly soft. Test them with a sharp knife which should slide in very easily. If there is any resistance against the knife, keep cooking for a few more minutes with the lid on until they are super soft.
Once soft, take the pan off the heat and serve, garnished with fresh herbs if you like. It will also keep for up to half an hour with the lid on to keep it warm.
Notes
* Be careful to ensure that the garlic does not burn or else it will give a bitter flavour to the dish. If the garlic starts to catch at all, just add a splash of water to bring the temperature down and stop it from burning. ** If it starts to look too dry at any point (it will depend on the size of your pan and how well the lid fits), just add a little more water to make it more saucy. If it looks too wet, just remove the lid and boil it off for a few minutes until there is the amound of sauce that you prefer.