I’m not entirely sure whether someone writing a sensible ‘grown up’ food-blog like this should use words like ‘yummy’. But in this instance, I’m going to throw caution to the wind and come straight out with it… This dish is absolutely yummy! There; I’ve said it! Please don’t hold it against me; we all have or faults.

If you can bear to continue reading after that, I shall tell you that I didn’t get home from work until eight o’clock last night. As a result, I was ravenous & craving something fast, filling & easy to cook.  Well this delicious gratin is exactly that. Not only is it incredibly quick to prepare; it’s also one of those recipes that’s absolutely bursting with flavour from only a mere handful of simple ingredients. There’s also precious little washing-up; so I consider this dish to be a true winner on all fronts!

There’s something sublimely indulgent about the combination of leeks & salted butter. The vegetables go so tender as to almost melt off the fork. The leeks are then wrapped in smoky slices of cured ham & topped by a delicious layer of golden, molten mozzarella; can you understand why I describe this dish as ‘mouth-watering’?

Because there’s virtually no carbohydrate in this dish; it’s perfect for diabetics or anyone following a ketogenic-diet or paleo-plan.  The only real carb-content here is the circa 1g of net carbs found in the leeks themselves. And that certainly won’t break the cab-bank…! I’ve served the gratin with fresh green pea-shoots; but it would go equally well with any crisp green salad or even cauliflower rice (cauliflower rice recipe here).

Start by trimming the tops off your leeks, reserving them for another day’s stock or soup. Then cut the white stems into 3 inch chunks.  Sauté the leeks in butter in a heavy bottomed pan until they start to soften, circa 5 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, roughly chop a few rashers of bacon and add these to the pan.  Continue to cook on a low heat until the vegetables are golden and the bacon a crisp brown. Then remove the pan from the heat to allow to cool for five minutes, so that you don’t burn your fingers when wrapping the ham.

In a separate pan pour in a generous cupful of double cream and stir in a good tablespoonful of Dijon mustard. Place onto the hob, stirring occasionally until the cream approaches the boil. At this point, season well and mix in a handful of chopped herbs (I used basil but any fresh herb of your choice will do the job admirably!).

Cut your ham slices into lengths with approximately the same width as the leeks. Place a piece of leek on the end of each slice and roll them up like sausage-rolls. Once done, place these back into your original pan, which should still have the bacon scattered at intervals over the base. Then simply pour on your cream mixture, making sure to cover the surface as uniformly as possible.

All that remains is to cut your mozzarella into thick wedges and place these on top. Give the dish a final sprinkling of herbs then into a hot oven it goes for 15 minutes to brown up, up under the grill until the surface is bubblingly brown and delicious!

Spoon the finished dish into broad bowls and serve your salad to one side. Then dig in whilst the gratin is still piping hot!

Voila! A delicious low-carb meal ready in just under 30 minutes!

Browse this and other recipes by picture on my pinterest page: country walks in ketosis pinterest.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

Without wishing to ‘blow my own trumpet’; this dish was absolutely delicious! Melted mozzarella is undeniably a ‘food hero’; nothing beats the effect when you cut into hot mozzarella and indulgent strands of melted cheese ‘unwind’ into the air, prompting you to twirl it round your fork like spaghetti! And underneath that layer lies a bed of mouth-wateringly tender turkey-breast steaks, carrying just the right amount of heat through a sprinkling of peppery, tart jalapeños. In short – heavenly sublime!

The crowning-glory to this dish is the sheer volume of taste which can be delivered from a recipe this quick! Few meals can be this easy to prepare; so if you’re looking for a ‘low effort, maximum reward’ mid-week dish, then this must be it! Beyond the 2-3g net carbs provided by the mange-touts, there’s practically no carbohydrate here; so ketogenic-dieters, diabetics, paleo-fans and gluten-intolerants can all tuck in with glee, not concern!

Start by placing a heavy-based pan onto the hob and drizzling in a little oil with a knob of butter. Whilst this heats through, season your turkey steaks, then place into the pan once the oil is piping hot. Seal on each side for 2 minutes, or until the surface is dappled with light golden brown caramelisation.

Whilst the meat is searing, finely slice an onion, then sprinkle this inbetween the turkey-breast-steaks once turned. Soften the onion for a minute or so, before adding a large clove of crushed garlic and two roughly chopped jalapeño peppers (keeping the seeds in if you like the extra heat). Leave this to cook through on the hob for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking to the base of the pan.

Once the heat has built up to a crescendo, pour on hot chicken-stock (or water and stock cubes), sufficient in volume to just cover the contents. The whoosh of steam is a thing of pure joy, as the pan rapidly deglazes to the heavens Be sure to lift up all the delicious caramelisation from the bottom of the pan with a sturdy wooden-spoon, as this is where all the flavour resides! Now simply leave to simmer until the liquid has reduced by thee quarters; allowing you to prepare the remaining ingredients.

Whilst the stock is bubbling away, finely chop some fresh basil and sprinkle this on top of the turkey. Open your packet of mozzarella, trying to drain off as much of the liquid as possible. If the cheese is cooked ‘wet’, then this will compromise the browning and ‘stretch’!

Slice the cheese into thin chunks, then once the liquid is barely covering the base of the pan; lay your mozzarella slices generously atop the turkey-steaks. Sprinkle the surface with a final flourish of herbs, then into a hot oven it goes for 15 minutes or until the cheese is richly golden and bubbling.

In the time that the mozzarella takes to brown, bring a shallow pan of water to the boil and steam your mange-touts with a little salt for 2-3 minutes until just tender, but still retaining their bite. Once there, strain the pan and stir through a generous knob of butter. A last minute grind of pepper and sprinkle of sea-salt will see your vegetables cooked to perfection.

All that remains is to lift the turkey out of the oven and serve it up alongside your hot buttered beans. The whole dish ready in just under 30 minutes, but I’ll wager the plates are ‘clean as a whistle’ in a fraction of the time!

Browse this and other recipes by picture on my pinterest page: country walks in ketosis pinterest.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.