Baked Leeks with White Sauce

This is a delicate recipe that gently weaves its way into your heart, a comfort food that I make a couple of times a year. Leeks, with their mild onion flavor, work well with the other ingredients. Hope it warms your tummy.

Baked Leeks with White Sauce

Enjoy the leek!

This is what the Sacramento sky looked like last night. My oldest blessing was in the backyard and saw it and said I should take a picture. So, I did and am sharing it with you to show you how beautiful it was.

Baked Leeks with White Sauce

Ingredients:

Leeks:
8 leeks
Water
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

White Sauce:
2 cups of soy milk
2 Tbs. vegan margarine
2 and 1/2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Topping:
1/3 cup vegan cheese, mozzarella style, grated finely
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour several cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Trim the very bottom of the leeks off, keeping the ends intact. Cut most of the the greens off, so you are left with the firm white part. Cut each leek lengthwise, leaving an inch uncut at its base. Turn them 1/4 and make the cut again. Each leek should have four sections at this point, with the bottom keeping them together. Gently fan each section out and rinse off, making sure there is no grit left hiding. Place leeks in the boiling water with the lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 16 minutes. While the leeks are boiling, prepare the white sauce. Pour milk into a small pot and bring close to the boiling point. Remove from heat and set aside. In another small pot, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk together. Cook two minutes over low heat, stirring frequently. Incorporate the milk into the flour mixture very slowly, stirring constantly. Season sauce with the salt and white pepper, and continue cooking over low heat for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Drain the leeks and lay side by side in a small casserole dish. Sprinkle them with the salt and pepper, and pour the white sauce over the top. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the sauce and the cheese over the nutmeg. Top with the paprika. Bake for 20 minutes. Very tasty. You can use this sauce recipe over other prepared vegetables and bake, as well. Serves at least five hungry vegans.