Charred Leeks With Quick Pickled Chiles And Peach Vinaigrette Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk garlic, pickle brine, mustard, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Add tomatoes and pickled peppers and gently toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, while you cook the bacon, bread, and peaches.
• Arrange bacon in a cold large cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly crisp (there can still be a few soft, chewy spots if you're into that sort of thing), about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour bacon fat into a small bowl; set aside. Wipe out skillet.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat in same skillet. Working in batches and adding more bacon fat as needed, toast bread until golden (a few char marks are fine), about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Wipe out skillet.
• Heat another 1 Tbsp. bacon fat (if you've run out, use vegetable or olive oil) in same skillet and cook peach halves, cut side down, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let sit until cool enough to handle. Slice each half in half again or into thirds and add to bowl with tomatoes. Tear toasted bread into 1"-1½" pieces and add to bowl. Add bacon and toss gently to combine and saturate bread with juices collected in bowl.
• Transfer panzanella to a platter or individual bowls to serve.

Steps:

• Make the brine:
• Put the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic. When it cools, pour it into a large, nonreactive metal or glass bowl.
• Make the pickled vegetables:
• Start the coals or heat a gas grill for medium-high direct cooking. Make sure the grates are clean.
• Prep the vegetables. Put the vegetables on the grill directly over the fire. (For smaller pieces, use a perforated grill pan, or skewer them to make them easier to handle.) Close the lid and cook the vegetables, turning them as necessary, until they brown deeply on all sides without softening; how long this takes will depend on the vegetable and how hot the fire is, but figure between 5 and 15 minutes total for most vegetables. Stay close to the grill, check them early and often, and move them to cooler parts of the grill to control the coloring.
• As they finish, transfer them to the bowl with the brine. When all are done, toss the vegetables with the brine to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate, tossing the vegetables every 30 minutes so, until the flavor and texture fully develop, at least 3 hours. Serve right away, or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Variations:
• Quick-Pickled Charred Vegetables with Chile, Lime, and Star Anise: Perfect with Vietnamese noodles, soups, and salads: For the brine, use 1 1/2 cups rice vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 5 pods star anise. After the liquid simmers, add the grated zest of 1 lime and 1 sliced jalapeño or Thai bird chile (remove the seeds for less heat).
• Sweeter Quick-Pickled Charred Vegetables with Ginger: Akin to sweet-and-Sour Chinese and Korean pickles: For the brine, use 1 cup each rice vinegar and sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup thinly sliced or julienne fresh ginger. After the sugar dissolves in Step 1, let the brine bubble gently for another 15 minutes to develop the ginger flavor.
• Spicy Dilly Pickled Vegetables: Terrific made with green beans or okra: In Step 1, substitute 1 tablespoon dill seeds and 2 teaspoons red chile flakes for the mustard and coriander seeds. After adding the vegetables, toss in several fresh dill sprigs if you like.

Steps:

• Bring a frying pan of salted boiling water to the boil, reduce to a simmer, add the leeks and cover with a cartouche (a piece of baking parchment with a hole in the middle). Cook for 4-5 mins until tender and a deeper green, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon (keeping the water at a simmer) and dry in a clean tea towel.
• Add the runner beans to the water, cook for 2-3 mins until tender, then drain and set aside.
• Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and toss the leeks in 1/ 2 tbsp olive oil and some seasoning. Griddle for a couple of mins each side until charred. Transfer to a chopping board and slice into lengths the same size as the runner beans.
• To make the vinaigrette, pound the anchovy using a pestle and mortar (or whizz in a blender), add the chilli flakes, Dijon, red wine vinegar and sugar and combine. Whisk in the remaining olive oil, season, then stir in the herbs.
• Put the runner beans and leeks in a large bowl. Pour over the vinaigrette, toss in the spring onions, then scatter over the seeds.

Steps:

• Pack the chiles into 2 (1-quart) jars and add enough water to come within 1/2-inch of the rim. Pour the water out into a measuring cup. Note the volume, pour off half the water, and replace it with sherry vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt for every 3 cups of liquid.
• Pour the vinegar mixture into a nonreactive saucepan and add the bay leaves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, marjoram, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the hot liquid into the jars to cover the peppers, and screw on the lids. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a small X in the bottom of each peach; add to the boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; drain and peel off the skins with a paring knife. (Or for harder peaches, remove skins with a vegetable peeler.)
• Chop the peaches. Combine with the sugar, salt and chile in a medium saucepan. Toss and let stand until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is syrupy, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Add the syrup to the pan and bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently and skimming off any foam, until the peaches soften and the juices thicken, about 15 minutes. (Gently mash any large peach chunks.) Remove from the heat and let the jam cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the jam to a jar or other airtight container and refrigerate until cold and fully jelled, 1 to 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• In a bowl or jar, combine the vinegar, mustard and some salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, and then slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. Set aside.
• Trim the roots off the leeks, leaving some of the root end intact so the leeks hold together. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse very well--they are usually pretty sandy and dirty.
• Add about 1 inch of water to a large pot over medium-high heat. Insert a steamer basket and set the leeks into the steamer. Cover and cook until softened and tender when the white end is pierced with a paring knife, about 5 minutes. Remove the leeks from the steamer, pat dry and transfer to a shallow dish. Brush with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat. Add the leeks, cut-side down, and cook until grill marks form, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Remove to a serving platter, drizzle over some of the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.