Drying Leeks

Hi there fellow readers. Today I had to pick up some foods I don't normally cook with for Korean Bibimbop. Bibimbop is Korean for "rice and mixed vegetables". It's a hodgepodge of rice, spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, mushrooms, kimchi, lots of sesame oil and topped with an egg.

This is not what I am posting about today, though. Along with all these wonderful vegetables, I picked up some leeks. Leeks are part of the garlic and onion family, but they are much milder in taste. I have usually had them in potato soups or other potato dishes.

My dilemma came when I picked one out in the produce section. As I chose the one that I liked, two more came down attached. I looked at the price and they were set as "each" not "per pound". My recipe only calls for a half of a leek--what was I going to do with 3!

Thinking back to when I ate potato soup with leeks I recall the package to be dehydrated and you were supposed to add liquid and boil before eating. Aha! Dried leeks! Instead of letting these veggies go to waste I brought down my trusty dehydrator and got to work.

Wash and cut the root ends of the leek. Next, chop them into 1/4" slices and arrange on dehydrator trays. Try to spread them out so they aren't piling up on each other separating them up it helps to dry them more evenly and to let the hot air flow through and do its job.

I put the dehydrator on 135 degrees F for about 4 hours. They are done when they are crunchy and no longer rubbery or moist. Afterwards, I let them dry in open air to ensure there were no more pockets of moisture hiding out. Lastly, I tossed them in a clean, dry jar with a lid to store. Now I have dried leeks to add to sauces, soups, and a multitude of other dishes.