Leek

Leeks are winter vegetables in Greece and they carry a set of dishes that mirror the summer ones almost exactly: prasorizo is the cold weather answer to spanakorizo, leeks softened in olive oil and simmered with rice until loose and wet, and prasopita does the same job for spanakopita, filling a phyllo pie with sliced leeks and feta instead of spinach.

They also go into meat: pork with leeks and celery, braised until both vegetables almost dissolve into the sauce, is a standard winter plate in northern Greece, and leeks turn up alongside celery and carrot as the aromatic base of stews where a milder, sweeter flavour than raw onion is wanted. Cooked slowly in oil they lose their sharpness entirely and turn silky.

Grit is the practical issue. Soil works its way down between the layers as the plant grows, and rinsing the outside of a whole leek does nothing about it, so the standard approach is to slice first and then wash the slices in a bowl of water, letting the grit sink. The white and pale green parts are what recipes mean; the dark tops are tough and usually go to stock.