Quickies

sharing the quick and dirty-style recipes that are giving me life right now

Let’s talk Quickies. The kind of dishes that get thrown together without overthinking. Where having minimal ingredients at home, barely a plan, and a deep need to eat, is what leads to maximum satisfaction.

These scrappy little dishes are where things get fun for me—cooking with what I’ve got is the key because it forces me to stay nimble. Miso butter–braised leeks topped with crunchy nori toasted breadcrumbs. Weirdly good. No notes.

In true Quickie spirit, I’ll spare you a long-winded story about how I got to this, let’s just cut to the chase.

Miso Butter–Braised Leeks w’ Nori Toasted Breadcrumbs

• Slice some well cleaned leeks longways (whites and light green parts only), and place them cut side down, in a well olive oiled pan. Add a little salt and weigh them down from the top with small heavy skillet in order to make enough contact with the pan to get a good sear.

• Flip them once they look nice and deeply browned (2-3 minutes) and drop the heat to medium low.

• Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, a heaping spoon of good miso, a couple splashes of rice wine vinegar, and ~ 3/4 cup of water. Gently coax the miso to melt and then throw a lid on top and drop the heat.

• This can simmer away as the broth reduces. I cooked mine for about 10-12 minutes until the leaks were lovely and collapsed, and the sauce was silky and rich. If you taste the sauce and it’s too salty or overly reduced, add a splash or two water and cook for another minute.

• Season a cup of breadcrumbs with some smoked paprika and turmeric, a pinch of salt, ground crispy fried onions. Toss in a hot pan with a little olive oil for a minute until they turn golden toasty brown.

• Remove from the heat and fold in a big handful of crumbled up nori (dried seaweed).

• Spoon loads of breadcrumbs onto your beautifully braised leeks and finish with a gentle squeeze of lemon.