Phil Vickery's leek and Emmental Spirali
Ahead of St David’s Day, we’re celebrating the national symbol of Wales - leeks!
Phil joins us from Hollyhouse Farm, who produce 250 tonnes of the vegetable every week - before serving his delicious leek & Emmental Spirali.
Leek and Emmental Spirali
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large leeks, washed well and split into quarters (leaving intact at the root)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100ml water
450g cooked Spirali pasta, warm
250g finely grated Emmental cheese
4-5 tbsp crème fraîche
For the fritters
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 medium leek, washed well and cut into 5cm x 1cm strips, washed well and drained
100g chickpea flour
150 - 200ml sparkling water
1 heaped tsp baking powder
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Salt and ground pepper
Method
1. Chop the large leeks into ½ cm pieces.
2. Add the leeks to a large saucepan, then add the water and oil, salt and a dash of ground pepper.
3. Pop on the lid and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes to steam the leeks.
4. Once softened, remove the lid and drain off all the water so the leeks glaze in the oil.
5. Once they just start to fry, tip in the cooked Spirali, and cheese and gently fold together.
6. Add enough crème fraîche to bind to a thick risotto texture. Season well and keep warm.
7. Meanwhile, fill a deep pan one-third full with oil and heat to 180C.
8. Place the chopped medium leeks, chickpea flour, baking powder, chilli flakes, turmeric and parsley into a bowl. Add enough sparkling water to just loosely bind together.
9. Using two tablespoons, carefully drop small spidery lumps of the mixture into the oil and cook until golden and cooked through, turning over halfway through so they brown evenly. Drain well and season with salt.
10. Serve the pasta piled high in bowls and top with a couple of fritters and a sprinkling of roughly chopped fresh basil or parsley.