Beer-Braised Leeks With Lemon and Parmigiano-Reggiano Vinaigrette

Brad Gobright, Renowned US Rock Climber, Falls to His Death in Mexico

Record-breaking California mountain climber, Brad Gobright, has died after plunging at least 600-feet while descending the side of a Mexican cliff face, civil defense officials in northern Mexico confirmed. Gobright, 31, was rappelling with a 260-foot rope on the El Potrero Chico peak in the northern state of Nuevo Leon with fellow climber Aidan Jacobson, 26, at the time of his fatal fall on Wednesday. Gobright was renowned for being an accomplished free solo climber, or climbing without safety gear. The method requires two climbers to act as counterweights during a descent using opposite ends of the rope, which is attached to an anchor. The technique is often described as one of the leading causes of deaths in climbing. However, Gobright and Jacobson reportedly chose not to tie knots on…

If I challenged you to eat an entire plate of onions, you’d probably call me crazy. But then I’d set down this plate of onion-adjacent vegetables with cheese and butter, and you’d eat the entire thing. It’s shocking, really, how lovely and sweet the leek can be with just a little help.

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 large leeks (see Note), white and pale green parts only, cut into 1-inch sections
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup stout
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt.

Stir in the garlic, then the beer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the pan is mostly dry.

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in the bowl of a food processor and process until well blended. With the machine running, slowly add the oil through the feed tube, blending until well combined.

Transfer the leeks to a serving plate. Drizzle the dressing over the top as desired. Garnish with the pecans and serve immediately. 

Note: To properly wash a leek (these things can trap an impressive amount of dirt!), cut off the root and slice the leek lengthwise to expose the inner layers, where dirt hides. Wash well under cool running water, making sure to remove the grit between the leaves. From there you are ready to slice. If you see any remaining dirt once the leeks have been sliced, put them all in a strainer and rinse again.

Reprinted with permission from “Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce” by Jacquelyn Dodd, Agate Surrey, October 2019.

This article is from the Internet:Beer-Braised Leeks With Lemon and Parmigiano-Reggiano Vinaigrette

Taliban ‘Ready to Restart’ Peace Talks After Trump’s Afghanistan Visit

Following a surprise by President Donald Trump to visit troops, the Taliban said Friday they are ready to restart peace talks with the United States amid the 18-year-long conflict in Afghanistan. “The Taliban wants to make a deal. We’ll see if they want to make a deal. It’s got to be a real deal, but we’ll see,” Trump said after he arrived in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving. The Taliban, he said, only want to resume peace talks because American troops are “doing a great job” in the country. President Donald Trump and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani speak to American soldiers during a surprise Thanksgiving day visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Nov. 28, 2019. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)“That’s the only reason they want to make a deal. So I…