Creamed Leek, Chestnut and Thyme Crumble

leek-crumbleHere’s a delicious and hearty recipe by Lee Bennett, which was published in The Guardian as part of their 10 Best Leek Recipe article. A perfect vegetarian week night meal or a great accompaniment to roasted meats.

 

 

 

Ingredients

For the leeks:

100g butter, at room temperature
150g flour
50g ground almonds
30g suet
1 egg yolk
50g cooked chestnuts, chopped
5 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper

For the crumble:

1kg leeks, trimmed
100g butter
Salt and pepper
100ml double cream
1 tsp nutmeg

Directions

To make the crumble topping, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then add the ground almonds and suet.

Fold in the egg yolk, then add the chestnuts and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the dark green outer leaves from the leeks and then roughly chop the rest. Add the butter to a large saucepan and gently cook the leeks with a pinch of salt and pepper until softened.

Add the cream and reduce until thick, which will finish cooking the leeks.

Place into a ceramic baking dish and allow to cool. When ready, top with the crumble and bake at 160C/325F/gas mark 3 for around 15-20 minutes until crunchy and coloured.