Receta Braised Leeks with Red Pepper Cream Cheese Sauce & Capers Recipe
This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kraft.
When cream cheese is mentioned, one of three things comes to mind – slathered bagels, cheesecake or frosting. Quite honestly, I rarely use cream cheese for anything else. Of course, that is a rather narrow-minded view, as many people use cream cheese in dishes such as mashed potatoes, pasta, and French toast. When Philadelphia Cream Cheese asked that I develop a recipe for a side dish using their product, I felt as though someone was shoving me off my precarious ledge of comfort.
While leeks are part of the same family as onions and garlic (the allium family), they have a much milder taste, particularly when braised. This makes them a willing backdrop to almost any accompanying flavors. Mediterranean ingredients are a particularly good accompaniment for the mellow vegetable. For this sauce, a roasted red bell pepper is blended with cream cheese and a splash of vegetable broth to make a velvety sauce. Quite honestly, I was worried that the cream cheese would make the sauce taste too…well…cream cheesy. Instead, it added a subtle tang and leant a creamy texture to this luxurious, but healthy sauce.
As for the leeks, the process of cooking them is painless. Once cleaned and cut (see my how-to post on preparing leeks), they are sauteed and braised in vegetable broth in under ten minutes and ready to be topped with the roasted red pepper sauce and briny capers. Cream cheese has found its niche in my kitchen, and it doesn’t even involve bagels.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese is currently running its second annual Real Women of Philadelphia Contest . The spokesperson, Paula Deen, is inviting home cooks from around the country to submit videos of themselves cooking with Philadelphia Cream Cheese products. This contest highlights real women cooking real dishes for their family and friends, promotes a community in which we can share recipes, and demonstrates that a dish does not have to be elaborate to be a crowd-pleaser.
In the spirit of this contest, I made this side dish to show that an impressive side dish does not require hours of preparation or difficult techniques. The freshness of the ingredients speak for themselves and will make the lowly side dish the highlight of the meal.
The recipe:
The sauce:
In a blender, combine roasted red bell pepper (see How to: Roast a Bell Pepper), cream cheese and vegetable broth. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and puree briefly. The sauce can be served room temperature or it can be heated in a small saucepan set over low heat.
The leeks:
Prepare leeks by cutting off the dark green leaves (discard or save for another use), cutting the leeks in half lengthwise, and thoroughly washing the dirt from between the layers. (For a step-by-step photo tutorial on this process, head to How to: Prepare a Leek.) Cut each leek piece in half again lengthwise.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add vegetable broth, cover and cook until leeks are very tender, about 5 minutes.
Place leeks on serving platter and top with roasted red pepper sauce and capers. Serve.
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Braised Leeks with Red Pepper Cream Cheese Sauce & Capers
Sauce:
- 1 roasted red bell pepper
- 2 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 3 tsp vegetable broth
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Leeks:
- 4 large leeks
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp capers
Sauce:
In a blender, combine roasted red bell pepper, cream cheese and vegetable broth. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and puree briefly. The sauce can be served room temperature or it can be heated in a small saucepan set over low heat.
Leeks:
Prepare leeks by cutting off the dark green leaves (discard or save for another use), cutting the leeks in half lengthwise, and thoroughly washing the dirt from between the layers. (For a step-by-step photo tutorial on this process, head to How to: Prepare a Leek.) Cut each leek piece in half again lengthwise.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth, cover and cook until leeks are very tender, about 5 minutes.
Place leeks on serving platter and top with roasted red pepper sauce and capers. Serve.
Serves 4 as a side dish.
braised,
capers,
cream cheese,
leek,
leeks,
red pepper,
vegetable,
vegetarian