Turks either hate or love leeks cooked in olive oil. We happen to
have a hypothesis to explain the reason behind this dichotomy. We believe
that it is the tomato that complements the onion-like taste of the leeks
providing this recipe its umami. Interestingly, tomato is not always included
in the ingredients list and it is our belief that the children of homes
that exclude tomato in this recipe grow up disliking the leeks - what
a shame!
 Unfortunately,
leeks that you can find in typical grocery stores in America are a bit
too thick and rough for this recipe. To make this recipe work, we will
have to discard the dark green stalks leaving only the white onion base
and the light green regions of the stalks. We will then have to remove
about two onion-like layers because, they are usually too woody to eat.
After
preparing the stalks as described above cut them into 2 inch long cylinders. We recommend leaving them in a bowl
of water for about an hour to loosen the dirt that tend to move between the layers. Leeks float and any dirt
attached to them collect at the bottom of the bowl. At this point, weigh the leek cylinders,
they should weigh about 1 lb. If not, change the portions accordingly.
Chop
the onion, set aside.
Slice
the carrot (1/4" thick slices), set aside.
Finely
chop the tomato, set aside.
Start
boiling some water in a pot.
Sautee
the chopped onion in olive oil at medium heat for a few minutes.
Add
the carrot slices, continue sauteeing for a few more minutes.
Add
the chopped tomato, reduce the heat and cook for about five minutes.
Add
the leeks, sautee for a few minutes or until the leeks absorb the oil
and look bright and shiny.
Add
1 cup of boiling hot water.
Add
the rice, salt and sugar.
Reduce
the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve
at room temperature, add a few drops of lemon juice to spike it at the
time of serving.
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