Leek and Goat’s Cheese Rarebit
A super quick and easy variation on the classic Welsh Rarebit recipe brings this traditional favourite bang up to date with goat’s cheese and leeks. Use a creamy Welsh goat’s cheese or Y Fenni cheese, which contains mustard seed and ale.
1 ciabatta loaf
2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and finely shredded
50g butter
25g all purpose/plain flour
1 tsp mustard powder
150ml milk
110g creamy Welsh goat’s cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the ciabatta loaf into ¾”/2cm slices. Place in a hot oven for 5–8 minutes to crisp and lightly brown. Rest on a cooling rack to keep crisp while preparing the rarebit.
Melt the butter in a medium size pan and gently sweat the leeks for 2-3 minutes to soften but not brown. Stir in the flour and mustard powder. Gradually stir in the milk and bring to simmering point to make a thick sauce.
Stir in the goat’s cheese until melted. Season well. Generously spoon rarebit on to the toasted ciabatta. Brown under the grill until bubbling and serve immediately.
Leek, Red Pepper and Cashew Nut Lasagna
A vegetarian alternative to a traditional lasagna which can equally be enjoyed by meat eaters.
850ml semi-skimmed milk
55g olive oil spread
55g plain flour
1 bay leaf
55g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, washed and sliced
3 red peppers, cubed
300g ricotta
12 lasagne sheets (ready to cook)
55g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
Half tsp of freshly grated nutmeg powder
100g grated Mozzarella
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C /350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Place the milk, olive oil spread, flour and bay leaf in a saucepan, season, and whisk together. Place over a medium heat and whisk continually until it comes to simmering point and until thickened. Turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. Whisk occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn’t catch.
Stir in most of the Parmesan (reserve a little for the top), remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Keep to one side.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the leeks and red peppers and cook until softened (approximately 5 minutes). Transfer into a large bowl and stir in the ricotta and cashew nuts. Season with black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Assemble the lasagne by spreading one-quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish, then one-third of the leek mixture, and place sheets of lasagne on top of this. Repeat the process, this time adding one-third of the grated Mozzarella, then the lasagne sheets. Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.
Recipes courtesy of BritishLeeks.co.uk