What if I told you that with one simple base, you could create three (or more) delicious meals?
This versatile recipe is the perfect way to make the most of seasonal leeks, which are abundant and at their best in the colder months. It’s comforting, flavour-packed, and incredibly easy to prepare.
Double or triple the recipe and freeze portions to have the building blocks for meals throughout the week. The excess liquid isn’t waste—it’s a delicious stock for soups, risottos, or sauces.
Below, you’ll find the ingredients and step-by-step recipe for this base. Keep scrolling to discover three easy and creative ways to transform it into a pasta dish, a warming noodle broth, or a creamy risotto. This is seasonal cooking made simple!
Leek & Mushroom Base
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 large knob of butter
- 3 medium-to-large leeks trimmed, cleaned, and sliced into roughly 1 cm rounds
- One punnet (7–8 mushrooms)cleaned and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon of chilli oil
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 500 ml or enough to cover vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 large heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over a low heat until melted.
- Add the leeks, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Gently sauté, stirring occasionally, until everything begins to soften.
- Pour in the stock, ensuring the vegetables are just covered, and stir in the chilli oil.
- Let it simmer gently over a low heat for around 45 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Check the consistency. The mixture should be loose and brothy, but if there’s excess liquid, that’s perfect. Ladle it into a bowl or jar and keep it aside as a rich stock base for other recipes.
- Finally, stir in the crème fraîche until fully combined for a creamy, luxurious finish.
Notes
Three Recipes with the Leek & Mushroom Base
Creamy Leek & Mushroom Pasta
A quick, flavourful pasta dish perfect for weeknights.
How to Make:
- Cook your pasta of choice (spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, etc.) according to the package instructions.
- Drain and toss through a generous serving of the leek and mushroom base.
- Serve with crumbled crackers for crunch, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese for extra indulgence.
Warming Noodle Broth
Transform the reserved stock from your leek and mushroom base into a hearty, warming bowl of noodle broth.
How to Make:
- In a pot, chop then gently fry whatever vegetables you have on hand (e.g., broccoli, celery, carrots, peppers, or onions) in a little butter or oil. Add meat if desired (leftover chicken or salami works wonderfully).
- Pour in the reserved stock and top it up with hot water if needed. Add a sliced garlic clove and 1–2 tablespoons of soy sauce for added depth.
- Simmer until the vegetables are tender, then drop in a of nest of noodles. Cook until the noodles are soft and enjoy a fragrant, comforting broth.
Leek & Mushroom Risotto
Add richness and depth to a classic risotto by incorporating your base.
How to Make:
- Prepare a risotto base as usual: gently fry onion in butter, add Arborio rice, deglaze with white wine, and slowly ladle in hot stock as it cooks.
- In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in a portion of your leek and mushroom base to your desired amount.
- For added flavour, chuck in some dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms to the stock to infuse the flavours and then add them to the risotto towards the end along with the leek base.
- Finish with grated hard Italian cheese and enjoy a creamy, earthy risotto.
