March 1st is St. David’s Day (Dewi Sant), the patron saint of Wales. While St. Patrick’s is the more well known holiday, St. David’s Day, which is his feast day, also has a food associated with it. That food is the leek. If you’ve used or eaten leeks, chances are it was in potato leek soup. But there are many other ways to prepare this delicious, onion-like vegetable. It has a milder flavor than onions and makes an excellent side dish, as this recipe for Leeks with Tomatoes and Bacon attests. I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com, posted by sal, and I adapted it to a low carb recipe.
Cennin gyda Thomato a Bacwn
(Leeks with Tomatoes and Bacon)
1 low carb Tortilla
1/2 cup Chicarrones (fried pork skins) – optional
1/4 teaspoon dried Rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried Sage
2 Leeks, sliced
1 medium Tomato, sliced
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 tablespoon Butter, melted
1/4 cup crumbled Bacon or diced Ham
Toast tortilla under a broiler or in a toaster oven until lightly browned. Allow it to dry out, then break into crumbs. Break the pork skins into crumbs also. In a small bowl, mix crushed tortilla and pork skins, rosemary, thyme and sage.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Slice leeks into thin rings and wash well in a colander under running water. Be sure to separate the rings to make sure no dirt remains. Drain well and let the leeks dry in the colander until you are ready for them.
Cook bacon on a rack over a deep pan in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until the bacon is well done. Let it cool, then crumble or tear the bacon.
In a large skillet, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of bacon grease, add the leeks and saute for about 10 minutes until the leeks are almost tender.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Spread the leeks into the bottom of a medium baking dish or a deep dish pie plate. Layer with tomato slices and half the mozzarella cheese. Top with the crushed tortilla mixture, the rest of the cheese and drizzle with melted butter.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Nutrition Info (4 servings) Calories 116.8 Net Carbs 7.3 g Protein 6.9 g
(6 servings) Calories 77.8 Net Carbs 4.8 g Protein 4.6 g
Posted on 3/1/2013