The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

CREAMED LEEKS WITH STILTON & PANCETTA

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

½ cup panko or breadcrumbs 2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled 1 tablespoon butter 2 slices Pancetta, torn into bite size pieces and deep fried until crisp 6 cup casserole dish

3 large leeks, white and light green only (about 1 pound when trimmed) ½ stick butter, 2 ounces ¼ cup flour ¼ cup cream ¼ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon horseradish Salt and pepper to taste

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

4 Sprinkle in the flour and carefully stir into the leeks. Then, add the cream, broth and horseradish and bring to the boil. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, then shut off the heat and pour the leek mix into the casserole dish. 5 Sprinkle panko crumbs over the top of the leeks and then the crumbled Stilton cheese. Dot the top with 1 tablespoon of butter. Lay the Pancetta pieces on the top and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the leeks are golden brown and hot.

2 Peel the outer leaves off the leeks and trim off the dark green pieces. Cut ¾ of the way through each leek lengthways and then finely shred into about inch pieces. Place the leeks in a large bowl, cover with cold water and agitate several times. Leave in the water for about 10 minutes. Leeks can be quite sandy and all that grit should fall to the bottom of the bowl. Drain and rewash making sure the water is clear and your leeks are totally clean. 3 In a large pan over high heat, melt the ½ stick of butter. Lift the leeks out of the water by hand and lightly squeezing them, drop them into the butter. Stir and add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low, placing a lid on top of the pan. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until the leeks have softened.

126 THE ROYAL CHEF AT HOME