Confit leek with maitake mushrooms and a green garlic oil

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This stunning verdant green leek dish makes a superb vegetarian main course if you are looking to impress. The confit leeks are melt in mouth, while the maitake mushrooms (also known as hen of the woods) provide an almost meaty texture. The recipe makes more oil than you need, but it can be frozen to reserve the bright green colouring.

First published in 2022

Will Murray & Jack Croft say 'This is a great way to utilise the whole leek, we use the tender white stem for the confit as it is more delicate and sweeter in flavour, and we use the green tops that are often discarded for the puree as the flavour is a lot punchier. This is served as amain dish in the restaurant and makes a great vegetarian option fora Sunday roast.'

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Leeks

Green oil

  • 150g of cavolo nero
  • 150g of leek tops, plus any other green veg tops/herbs you have, I.e. spring onion tops and parsley
  • 600g of rapeseed oil

Confit garlic pulp

Leek fluid gel

  • 100g of unsalted butter
  • 250g of onion, sliced to 2mm
  • 1kg leek, finely sliced sliced 2mm, (middle and tops)
  • 600g of vegetable stock
  • 500ml of semi-skimmed milk
  • 100ml of whipping cream
  • 80g of Parmesan

To set the gel

  • 1.3Kg Leek stock
  • 14g of fine salt
  • 13g of gellan gum type F

Maitake mushroom

Parmesan crumb

Crispy cavolo nero

Equipment

  • Thermometer
  • Thermomix
  • Hand blender
  • Muslin cloth

Method

1

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/gas mark 2. Wash the leeks and cut the green tops off, reserving them for the oil. Then place the white parts into a container and cover with rapeseed oil. Place a lid or foil over the container and cook for 90 minutes. Strain and reserve the oil, stored in the fridge it can be re-used several times

2

For the green oil, roughly chop the vegetables and herbs then blend with the oil until warm (around 65ºC) – this will take up to 10 minutes. Strain over a bowl of ice, using a sieve lined with a muslin cloth then reserve in fridge until needed

  • 150g of cavolo nero
  • 150g of leek tops, plus any other green veg tops/herbs you have, I.e. spring onion tops and parsley
  • 600g of rapeseed oil
3

For the garlic pulp, coarsely chop the garlic in a food processor. Melt the butter in a pan, and once melted add the chopped garlic. Cook on a low heat until the garlic is completely soft (the garlic should lose all its raw flavour and taste slightly sweet). Remove from the heat and pulse with a hand blender, to achieve a pulpy texture– be careful not to blend into a purée. Keep refrigerated and warm before use

4

For the leek gel, melt the butter in a pan, then add the sliced onions and 750g of the leeks. Sweat on a medium heat until soft but not caramelised– approx. 15 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, milk and cream and bring to 85ºC. Pulse with a hand blender a few times, then cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes

  • 100g of unsalted butter
  • 250g of onion, sliced to 2mm
  • 750g of leek, finely sliced sliced 2mm, (middle and tops)
  • 600g of vegetable stock
  • 500ml of semi-skimmed milk
  • 100ml of whipping cream
5

After 15 minutes, add the remaining 250g of finely sliced leeks and cover again for a further 10 minutes. After this time add the grated parmesan, pulse once more with a hand blender and leave to rest for a final 5 minutes. Then pass through a colander and after that a fine chinois. Really squeeze hard at each stage to ensure maximum yield and flavour

  • 250g of leek, finely sliced sliced 2mm, (middle and tops)
  • 80g of Parmesan, finely grated
6

Place the leek stock into the thermomix and add the salt. Bring the stock up to 90ºC on speed number 3. Once up to 90ºC, add the gellan gum. Blitz for 10 seconds on speed 8, stop the thermo and scrape down the sides ensuring all gellan gum is mixed in, then blitz for a further 2 minutes on speed 8

  • 1.3Kg Leek stock
  • 14g of fine salt
  • 13g of gellan gum type F
7

Pour the mix into a deep metal tray and set over ice, chill the gel down to 45ºC and mix gently whilst cooling, but don’t break up the mix too much. Once the mix is at 45ºC, place back into the clean thermo and blitz on speed 8 to desired consistency (Approx. 60sec). The gel is now ready and can be stored in the fridge

8

For the mushrooms, heat rapeseed oil in pan until hot. Add the mushrooms to the pan and ensure you get good colour on them, then reduce the heat and stir through the garlic and parsley

9

For the breadcrumbs, melt butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and cook until golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Once cooled, add parmesan shavings and chopped chives

10

To cook the cavelo nero, lay the leaves face down in a dry pan and heat slowly until crisp, then season with salt

11

Portion the confit leeks into 3 batons, then place under a hot grill or blacken using a blowtorch. Stir the garlic pulp into the green oil and gently heat– only heat right before serving so you on't lose the bright green colour

12

To plate up, add the confit leeks to a plate with the mushrooms draped over. Add a quenelle of the fluid gel and top with the panko crumb. Drizzle with plenty of the garlicky green oil and finish with crisp cavolo nero leaves

First published in 2022

Jack Croft and Will Murray struck up a friendship while working at Dinner by Heston and in 2019 launched their own restaurant concept called Fallow. Together they now cook some of London’s most exciting, sustainability-focused food.

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