Stuffed Leek Ciulama

I found a little time to enjoy cooking and let myself be carried away by inspiration in the kitchen, so I decided to prepare a delicious stuffed leek. Although it seems like a simple recipe, I chose to add a touch of creativity and transform a basic ingredient into a special dish. Instead of using complicated ingredients, I opted to recycle what I had in the fridge, and the result was worth it.

For the leek filling, I used a piece of leftover roast meat from a previous dinner, along with a slice of smoked ham. I wanted to waste nothing, so I put them in the food processor, adding a few eggs and my favorite spices – you can add whatever you like, from salt and pepper to herbs or smoked paprika. Then, I cut the leek into bite-sized pieces, removed the core, keeping only a few thin leaves.

I carefully placed the filling into each leek tube, making sure it was well packed. After finishing the filling, I chopped the remaining leek and set it aside for the next step. In a hot wok with oil, I fried the leek 'canelonni', achieving a crispy texture. After taking them out onto a plate, I added a bit of butter to the remaining oil and sautéed the chopped pieces of leek, allowing them to become elastic but without fully cooking them.

For an extra touch of flavor, I added a tablespoon of pepper paste and placed everything at the bottom of a heat-resistant dish. On top, I carefully arranged the stuffed leek tubes and poured vegetable broth over them, letting the dish bake in the oven until the liquid evaporated and the leek became soft and fragrant.

In the meantime, I prepared a white sauce based on sour cream, which I seasoned with Tabasco sauce, adding a hint of spice. Then, I took the dish out of the oven, sprinkled some olives among the leek tubes, and put everything back in the oven to blend the flavors. After a few moments, I took the dish out again, drowned it in the white sauce, and let it bake a little longer.

After all these steps, I was finally ready to savor my creation. I served the stuffed leek alongside warm polenta and crunchy pickles for a perfect contrast of textures and flavors. This recipe not only helped me recycle forgotten ingredients, but it also brought me great joy on my plate. So, if you're looking for a new idea for lunch or dinner, don't hesitate to try stuffed leeks!

 Ingredients: leeks - 2 pieces minced meat - 300 g olives - 15 pieces sour cream - 100 g flour - one tablespoon pepper paste - one tablespoon

 Tags:  meat pepper flour sour cream olives