Punk Leek

It might have become apparent by now that leek is pretty high on my top-5 list of vegetables.

The playful way in which it hides lumps of dirt between its leaves, reminding you how freshly from the earth it comes ; the distinctive sound of the knife, cutting through the layers when you chop the whites ; the sweet oniony taste, so good it hardly needs any seasoning ; the soft, moist, velvety texture it takes on when you cook it over gentle heat, slowly.

And really, how could anyone resist a vegetable with such a groovy haircut?