Leek Croustade

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 100 g breadcrumbs
• 100 g ground almonds
• 50 g walnut pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for greasing the pie dish)
• 50 ml water
• 2 large leeks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 25 g butter
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 300 ml milk
• 75 g cheddar cheese, grated
• seasoning, and (a pinch of dried dill works well) or herbs (a pinch of dried dill works well)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350f, 180c; lightly grease an 8 inch pie or flan dish.
• 2 place the bread crumbs, ground almonds and walnut pieces in a food processor and 'pulse' together until the walnuts are chopped small and an even crumb mixture is achieved; with the processor running slowly, pour the olive oil then the water down the feeding tube; process until the ingredients are well mixed and start to ball together as a 'dough'.
• 3 spoon the mix into the pie dish and using the back of a spoon, press the mix evenly over the base and up the sides; bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust starts to brown.
• 4 meanwhile, clean and slice the leeks (i like them cut in half lengthways then sliced 1/4 inch thick); in a large pan, cook the leeks gently in the oil, until they are just tender; spread the leeks evenly over the baked base.
• 5 next make a sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and mix well together (a balloon whisk is great for this); slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble; season the sauce.
• 6 pour the sauce over the leeks then sprinkle the cheese over the top; return the pie to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling.