more veggies, please!

In the fall, I went home to take care of my father and brother after they were hospitalized. I tried my best to make them comfortable once they were home. One evening, my dad asked me to prepare a leek tart for dinner. I thought he was going to recite a simple recipe for me to follow, but found out he had never baked a leek tart before. So, I had to make do with the few recipes I could find on epicurious.com. This is what I came up with. The tart was gone in minutes. I hope you like it, too. 50 minutes – serves 6 Savory pastry dough: pâte brisée or feuilletée 1 tablespoon duck fat or olive oil 4 large leeks 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme ½ cup gruyere, grated 2 eggs ½ cup milk ¼ cup cream 1. Line a pie pan with pastry dough. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, cover with aluminum foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Slice leeks in half lengthwise, through the tender light green part. Finely chop leeks, rinse...

30 minutes – serves 4 ½ cup peanut oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced ginger Salt 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried 4 cups day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature 4 large eggs 2 teaspoons sesame oil 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1. In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup peanut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly. 2. Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt. 3. Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. Season to taste with salt. 4. In a nonstick skillet, fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny. 5. Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with ½ teaspoo...

This recipe straddles winter and spring. The radicchio’s bitter taste confirms that you must still wear a scarf out, but the leeks’ sweetness brings the promise of budding leaves and sunshine. I didn’t have linguine at home, so I can attest that farfalle work well as a substitute. 30 min – serves 2 8 ounces linguine 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 4 cups thinly sliced leeks (including some dark green parts) 1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus shaved Parmesan for garnish 1/4 cup walnut pieces (about 1 ounce) plus additional for garnish 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 cups thinly sliced radicchio 1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. 2. To prepare the leeks, trim the bottoms and cut in half lengthwise. Then rinse under cold running water, separating the layers to remove the dirt. 3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add ...