Another hint on leeks: you can use them from the white base up through the
pale green part; I usually discard the dark green upper leaves. They do
contain a lot of dirt; easiest way to deal with them: chop off the base
(roots), then halve it lengthwise. Then it's easy to rinse the bits of dirt
stuck in the outer layers, but still be able to slice them up for your recipe.
They're prettier in whole round slices, but it's hard to avoid a little crunch
of dirt.
Judith
------------------------------