I'd use a pound of leeks, then cut the white part off & just use that. You'll probably get differing opinions but if they wanted a lb of the white part of the leeks, I'd think they'd say "1 lb of the white part of leeks."

I also slit leeks in 1/2 lengthwise & wash several times. Always find grit in the layers. I'd use the part up to where it just starts turning green.

Thank you for the advise Ginger. I just discovered leeks this year and every recipe I want to try seems to call for them. Laurie

I agree with Ginger, to me that would mean one pound of leeks using just the white parts. I pound of white only would be a heck of a lot of leeks! When using leeks I include some of the barely green as well. Usually I stop where the leaves start to separate.

Persoanlly I dislike recipes that call for a measurments in pounds, I much prefer cups.

Thanks, Chase. I was browsing through The Complete Books of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton Jr, looking for my next experiment and found a different recipe which also called for 1 lb leeks and had added (about 6 cups).

i'll weigh in with both ginger and chase. and fortunately when using ingredients like this, i don't imagine it would matter a whole lot if you were over or under the specified amount--more a matter of taste (unlike baking, which is a science that pretty much eludes me...).

Given your basic question, the answer is a pound of leeks, from which you use the white parts.

However, much of the green is also usable. You just want to make sure its the tender, inner parts. After cutting off the whites, peel off the tough outer leaves and you'll find a lot of great-tasting, tender green parts.

And I'll side with San on this. There is no need to get anal about amounts. This is cookery, after all, not rocket science. And the fact is, the amount of white on a leek can vary considerably, depending on how it was grown; so the white parts from a pound of leeks is a lot of things, but a precise measurement ain't one of them.

Although its taken as a truism that baking is more precise than cooking, I think we go a little overboard on that. The fact is, the amount of liquid-to-flour is subject to a lot of variables, which makes baking just as much an art as a science, IMO.

I agree-I'd buy a pound of leeks and just use the white parts and not get too concerned with it. I have that cookbook also and it does have some good recipes in it.

As has been mentioned, soups, stews and various other recipes have a lot of margine. Good luck in finding any multiples of any number of leeks that weigh exactly 1 pound. It's not chemistry, it's cooking. Buy a couple of leeks weighing a little more than a pound...wash well and use the white parts in your recipe.
The same with potatoes, buy about 3 pounds ( or whatever), prepare them and use them.
If you ever get into converting recipes from metric weights and measures to pounds and ounces, you would understand just how approximate most recipes are.
Linda C

Laurie, in answer to your question about potatoes, carrots, etc. I just weigh them when I buy them so I don't worry about the weight after they are peeled.

One other thing, Laurie. Now that you've discovered leeks, you may want to start growing your own. Nothing compares to baby leeks in terms of taste and tenderness.

Thank you all! It was delicious. Also made a leek broth with the left over and froze it. We just put in four raised vegetable beds and I will certainly take your suggestion, gardenlad. Laurie

You'll be glad you did.

If you need help developing that leek bed, hop on over to the Alliums forum. Plenty of knowledgeable folks over there ready to help you out.