Leeks with apple and bacon

Now things have cooled down and the leaves are falling, it’s a great time for switching out the salads for warm and comforting veggie dishes. This is a favourite and can act as a stand-alone side dish to meat, fish or vegetarian main courses, as it’s not just tasty but relatively hearty, and super-quick to make. Of course, leave out the bacon if it’s a vegetarian meal – and maybe throw in some baby kale instead!

Serves: 3-4 as a side dish

Time to prepare/cook: Approximately 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 large leeks

• 1 crisp apple – I love the pink lady type, but use any crisp apple available

• 100g bacon pieces

• 1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence

• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh herbs: Sage, thyme, rosemary are good

• A splash of olive oil for cooking (the bacon will also make fat)

• Pots & pans needed: Large frying pan, sharp knife, chopping board

Method

• Wash and chop the leeks into ¼ to ½ cm slices and wash and chop the apple as finely as you can

• Put a splash of olive oil in the frying pan and add the bacon pieces, cooking at a medium heat (6 on a scale of 1 to 9), stirring occasionally for 2 minutes

• Add the chopped leeks and apple to the pan and stir occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes until the bacon is slightly brown and the leeks and apple have softened

• Add the fresh and dried herbs and mix through, stirring occasionally for 2 more minutes

• Serve with your choice of meat, fish or vegetarian main course