Purslane is starting to show up at farmers' markets, and so recently we began getting questions from readers about what to do with it.
Considered a weed by many gardeners, purslane is a succulent plant that grows low and sprawling in everything from wide open meadows, to container gardens, and even your lawn. It grows wild and can be harvested as such, but just beware of a look-alike called spurge, which sometimes grows nearby. (When its stem is broken, spurge gives off a milky sap).
It has a mildly sour flavor and a chewy texture. Eaten raw, purslane leaves and stems are a wonderful addition to salads. You can steam them or add them to soups, stews, and other vegetable dishes.
Thank you so much! I think I will make the sorrel and purslane soup, and tonight I am making a pasta with it, too.
Purslane, or verdolagas, is one of the quelites, or "greens" used in home style Mexican cooking. I like it the best stewed with tomatillos, roasted poblanos and pork, but you can also just saute it with onions and some chillies. Paula Wolfert also has some nice Mediterranean recipes (mostly Turkish and Greek I think) in her books too.
regards,
trillium
We used to pick purslane wild and cook it as follows:
saute onions in oil and butter, add tomatoes coarsely chopped(fresh or canned) salt, pepper & purslane.
When I was a kid in the 60's, my father had a garden in which purslane grew wild. We would eat it all during the summer in salads. Though it was delicious and nutritional, as kids we were mildly embarrassed that the neighbors would see us eating weeds - we were the children of 1st generation immigrants, desperate to assimilate into American life. Eating weeds, freshly made yogurt, sheep cheeses, olives, and other 'odd' foods, that are not now considered unusual was at that time, a mark of difference. I was overwhelmed by memories the first time I saw purslane at the Green Market. It's a terrific flavor addition to salads. Enjoy!
Yesterday morning I decided to go online to discover what the name of the succulent weed with the bright yellow flower was, and voila ! It's purslane. I never heard of it before, and I definitely hadn't planted it, but it was growing profusely in an area of the yard that I had taken the lawn up from. I haven't even watered the area. It was just dry dirt. And the Purslane looks like it was drinking from the fountain of youth. After going online and reading all about the healthy benefits of purslane I went ahead and ate a few leaves and stems. Not bad. The larger stems are sort of lemony, but the leaves are quite nice, with a taste similar to me of a cross between young asparagus, spinach, and raw green beans.
Anyway I decided to try cooking it this morning with some eggs. Oops ! No eggs. So I sauted about a cup of the leaves and leave stems in olive oil for about three minutes. I flavored it slightly with salt and pepper, and yum yum. Very nice. A little slimey, but ever so slightly. And no unpleasant aftertaste at all. Very good. Delicious.
Later on in the afternoon I made myself a turkey and Mexican cheese sandwich on eight grain bread spread with a garlic and herb cheese spread and topped off with at least a cup of fresh Purslane . I heated the turkey and cheese for about a minute in the microwave in order for the cheese to melt, and then placed the turkey and cheese on the bread, sprinkled the
Purslane over the entire sandwich, and once again. Yum, yum, yum. Delicious !!!! Since it's free and tastes as good as spinach, and is so very good for me I've decided that I'm going to be using Purslane in most situations where I would have used lettuce or spinach.
Purslane. Another wonder weed. I love it. Who knew ? Definitely, not I. I'm definitely a new convert to this "weed".
Now, to try it in some more recipes. Hmmm......
view middleagedman1's profile