Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Verdolagas: weeds in my kitchen

Verdolagas a.k.a purslane is classified as a noxious weed. The seeds are illegal to transport, the plant restricted as to how it is grown.  It is essentially a controlled substance.  But it grows everywhere in my garden. It just popped up and took over everything. However, I'm sort of okay with that. At first I didn't know what it was. I picked the fresh leaves and added them into salads. However, I soon found out that eating them raw was only a mediocre way of enjoying them. I started asking long-time local residents how they cooked them. Apparently many feel they are a delicacy and now that word is out that I have them growing abundantly in my garden... I am sharing them with people who live as far as forty miles away!!! But please don't let authorities know, heaven forbid should the pollen of the flowers blow into the wind as I travel.

I have now cook them in a few different ways. They end up sort of like a milder version of spinach once they are cooked. No matter how they are prepared, they must have the woody bottom stems removed and then be simmered for ten minutes in a sauce pan of water. The following recipe is my favorite way to prepare them:

Ingredients:
Bunch of verdolagas
3 tomatillos
White onion
2 cloves garlic
Serrano pepper seeds and stem removed
Juice of a lime
Olive oil
Cotija cheese (or any fresh crumbly cheese like feta)

Prepare the verdolagas by cutting off any woody stems and boiling them for ten minutes in a sauce pan of water

In your food processor purée the tomatillos, white onion, garlic, serrano pepper, and lime juice. Add a bit of water if it is real thick.
Heat a skillet to med/high heat with olive oil. Add in the purée and simmer for a few minutes. Then add in the cooked verdolagas. Since the verdolagas will be wet from the water they were boiled in, I sautéed everything until the water has evaporated. I then add salt, pepper, and the cheese.

This is great on it it's own with a side of toast. Or even is very good wrapped in a tortilla. To take the recipe a little further, this dish can be used as a base for a quiche or scrambled eggs.

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