Ingredients
2 bunches leeks
1 cup canned tomatoes or tom.juice
1 cup stock or broth
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 pinch dried thyme or oregano
3 tbsp butter or oil
1 salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
Cut off the stem ends and green parts of leeks, then wash thoroughly
and cut into 1-inch slices. Soak in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes,
then drain and discard the water. In a non-aluminum pan, combine with
the tomatoes or tomato juice, stock or broth, onion, celery, parsley,
thyme or oregano, 3 tablespoons butter or oil, and salt and pepper.
Simmer until tender (approximately 20 minutes), adding the lemon
juice during the last 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles, Avenel
Books, New York. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 4 servings
Prassa Me Domata (Leeks Stewed With Tomatoes) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Soup; Stew; Tomato; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to follow the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into ancient history, in fact as far into history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, mostly, these old cook books were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics are some tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel exhilarated. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some documents showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into starters, main course and dessert, something we still use today. This early Roman chef informs us how the cooks of Roman times made use of many spices, including many that are still in use today for example basil, fennel and parsley. During the next few hundred years, the wealthy families of Europe strove to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and because of this the best chefs and their recipes were at a premium. However, it was during the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe collections became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collating, testing, and recording the recipes of their peers. By the time we get to the twentieth century, recipe books were greatly in demand as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brought us TV chefs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to search through massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Prassa Me Domata (Leeks Stewed With Tomatoes) recipe.
