Pan-seared leeks with red pepper and chickpea spread, toasted pine nuts and lemon oil
When life gives you lemons, very few think of turning them into a delicious, zingy lemon oil. And the few that do are better off for it. In this dish, a bed of red pepper and chickpea spread is topped with golden brown leeks, cooked in butter until soft, and drizzled with a generous glug of fresh lemon oil. Served with some toasted pine nuts for that extra bit of crunch, this dish is perfect served as a side or as a main course.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Lemon oil
- 300ml of olive oil
- 4 lemons
Roasted red pepper and chickpea spread
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained with aquafaba reserved
- 400g of roasted red peppers, drained
- 20g of tahini
- 200ml of olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch of salt, to taste
- 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pan-seared leeks
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 3 large leeks
- 100g of unsalted butter
Garnish
- 1 handful of toasted pine nuts
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 pinch of black sesame seeds
Method
Begin by making the lemon oil, wash the lemons under cold running water and scrub them with a sponge to remove any waxy coating
- 4 lemons
Use a vegetable peeler to slice off the lemon rind, making sure to avoid the white pith
Add the lemon rind to a pan along with the olive oil. Turn the heat onto medium and once the oil begins to bubble and is around 60°C, reduce to low
- 300ml of olive oil
Leave the oil to infuse for around 15 minutes, then move the pan off the heat and let the oil cool to room temperature
Strain through a fine sieve into an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed
For the red pepper and chickpea spread, add all of the ingredients to a large blender and secure the lid. Blitz on a high speed for around a minute until the mixture is almost smooth, then adjust the consistency using the reserved aquafaba as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste then set aside until plating
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained with aquafaba reserved
- 400g of roasted red peppers, drained
- 20g of tahini
- 200ml of olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch of salt, to taste
- 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To make the pan-seared leeks, first cut the leeks in half widthways so you have six shorter pieces of leek, and then slice each piece in half again lengthways
Place a large pan on a high heat and, once the pan is hot, add in the olive oil then place the leeks cut-side down into the pan
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
Press down on the leeks evenly for around 4 minutes until they begin to caramelise. Continue to cook the leeks until they are well-caramelised and have turned a deep golden brown, turning down the heat as they cook if necessary to prevent burning
Turn the heat down to low then add in the butter. Cover the pan with a lid and leave the leeks for another couple of minutes to finish cooking
- 100g of unsalted butter
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat until golden brown
- 1 handful of toasted pine nuts
To plate, spread a generous amount of the red pepper puree onto a plate and top with the pan-seared leeks. Top with some lemon zest, chilli flakes, toasted pine nuts and a generous drizzle of the lemon oil
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 pinch of black sesame seeds
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