Purslane: Weeds for Appetizers!

"Sautéed and marinated yellow squash with purslane and herb vinaigrette."

That hypothetical menu item sounds appetizing and pleasant. But what you probably wouldn’t guess is that the greens on your plate are actually an annoyance to gardeners, farmers, and landscapers a like and I can attest to that.

Purslane, like mint, is a weed with a peppery taste that grows aggressively and limits the growth of other plants by blocking sunlight. This weed was doing just that when I discovered it blocking the sunlight of the baby carrots and beets in the garden that my roomates and I share.

Having used it quite a few times at my station in the restaurant where I work, I was skeptical that it was actually growing outside my window. After all, at work we pay a healthy sum to have it imported from Pennsylvania. But it was indeed the real thing; the ingredient I garnish plates with was identical to the weed wreaking havoc in the garden.

Part of the portulaca species, purslane is both edible and healthy. Interestingly, its leaves and stems have very different nutritional values; the leaves are high in omega three fatty acids, and the stems are high in vitamin C. About 100 species of the plant exist and often grow in tropical areas as well as warm temperate regions. Such as, apparently, Washington, D.C.

This green shouldn't be wolfed down like a Caesar salad with Romaine or Bibb lettuce. Rather, since the leaves are slightly stiff and a little fuzzy on top, it should be broken up into bite size pieces. To enjoy this plant best, create a warm salad of purslane, tomatoes, and grilled tuna with balsamic vinaigrette.

Between the Purslane and mint running rampant in the garden, it seems like food just pops up everywhere; however, I am not going to test the theory by eating the rest of the weeds. They will still be pulled an unceremoniously tossed into a pile ... For messing with our adorable baby carrots.

Enjoy and be curious!

Viva Italia

In the fall of 2005 I spent 4 months studying in Rome and traveling throughout Italy and the Mediterranean. A goal was to try and take a picture of anything interesting and new that I ate. Please join me in looking at interesting and traditional Italian dishes.

Cake vs. Cassata.

Sicily brought us an interesting trip, including a crazy hostel host, but the food was warm and comforting. This famous dessert, the cassata, is Sicily's pound cake. It contains orange liqueor, layers of ricotta, candied peel, and chocolate filling. The word cassata comes from the Latin word caseata...anything made from cheese.

Bring me the Baklava!

During my time in Italy we vacationed in Athens for a week.

Athens is home to tons of specialty stores like this one above that sells mostly baklava. Baklava is a well known Greek & middle eastern dessert made with honey, nuts, sugar, and thin layers of phyllo dough.

Ostriche

A beautiful plating of oysters on ice. Simple and salty!

Linguine con telline

This award winning photo (Food & Wine Magazine 2007) is of a basic dish of linguine and wedge shells that was eaten in southern Italy. The shells are often very common along the beaches in Italy.

Spaghetti in Italy

"Bucatini con cozze e peccorino"

Outside of Rome, Italy, this famous dish also goes by "spaghetti with tomatoe sauce".

The Curious Cook...considers Rambutan

It is often the case in the Dean & Deluca produce section that I’ll encounter things I’ve never seen before. On a recent visit to the gourmet food store I stumbled upon what appeared to be a careless mistake in the fruit section. In the top shelf of the refrigerator, above the diced watermelon and strawberries were a great many curious looking brown spiny objects. Labeled “Rambutan” the strange fruit might easily have snuck in from the seafood section, or else a science fiction movie.

The rambutan is in fact a fruit imported from Asia and very similar to the better-known lychee, though its taste is best compared to a very sweet and mild grapefruit. Its outside is covered in coarse, brown spines that resemble tough grass. If you are brave enough to overcome the prickly aesthetic, bite - but do not swallow - the outer layer of the rambutan. Peel it back to reveal the translucent and jelly-like flesh of the fruit. Enjoy the light, refreshing taste - just be careful to avoid the almond shaped pit within.
Many adventurous eaters will love encountering this fruit in person, even if they buy it mostly to scare neighborhood children.

Enjoy and be curious !

Cool as a white cucumber.

It was 1p.m. on a Friday and I had two tasks left on my preparation list before the evening shift arrived at the seafood restaurant where I work as a Chef De Partie. First I needed to make a white balsamic reduction: add white balsamic vinegar, lemon rind, lemon juice, and white wine into a pot and simmer until there is a quarter less liquid. Finally, before I could go home and rest from a long shift, I was to cut white cucumbers in one-eighth inch circles.

Wait a second-white cucumbers?

White cucumbers indeed. These beige- skinned cucumbers are about the size of an index finger and lighter on the inside than a normal cuke.

White cucumbers, also known as “white wonders,” are rare. Believed to have been from India, this fruit – yes, cucumbers are a fruit - is an heirloom cucumber with tender skin, different from that of the more popular “slicers” served in North America. Cucumbers grown for the U.S. are generally longer and smoother with a tougher skin.

White cucumbers are hard to find at the local grocery store but you can order the seeds online from farmers, usually in other countries. If you are not keen on planting, watering and waiting, there are a few farmers on the East Coast who grow them; the restaurant where I work buys from a small farm in Pennsylvania. The white wonders grow best in very hot and humid climates and can reach up to nine and a half inches in some conditions.

Giddy though I was with my personal discovery of this ingredient, I could only impress one other cook in the food-jaded atmosphere of a professional kitchen. If you ever come across a white cucumber yourself, be sure to grab it and show someone who can appreciate it. Then, take it home and toss it into a refreshing salad with dill, salt, olive oil, and grape tomatoes-but show them off by not peeling them