Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Purslane and yogurt


Too simple to call a recipe. But the most simple meals are sometimes the best.

I bought a fat bunch of purslane for $2.50 at the Borough Hall Farmers' market. Mostly, I like it for its crunch. Its mind-boggling nutritional value is a secondary consideration. More omega 3 than anything else, for a start, so put away your fish oil capsules. And: "Purslane in particular is an anti-depressant food. According to James A. Duke, PhD, purslane has up to 16 antidepressant compounds; among them are magnesium, potassium, calcium, folate, and lithium. Purslane also contains essential fatty acids." James A. Duke.


At home I plunged it into a deep bath of cool water so that it could revive. It wilts fast in the sun. After a few hours it had plumped back up again.

My lunch:

Half a cup of Greek yogurt
Pinch of salt
1 small garlic cove, mashed to a pulp
About 10 mint leaves, chopped

Mix this all together and keep cold. Pick half a cupful of purlsane leaves, stir half of these into the yogurt, and arrange the rest on top. Eat with pita wedges or crackers or good bread.

9 comments:

  1. So glad to see someone else praising purslane! I love the stuff, and somehow feel better when I eat all of these strange and interesting semi-wild greens. Keep on keeping on! :)

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  2. Next friday you can weed and feed at the farm :)

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  3. This is one of my favorites ... sorry I didn't know to pick it from the sidewalk cracks when I was growing up in Mississippi. Chopped purslane, tomato (perfect match), cucumber, maybe some small pieces of dried bread to absorb the tomato juices, a few chopped mint leaves. Add couscous or beans if you want. Olives? Dress with lemon juice and olive oil. I vary the ingredients on whim. Good with a small piece of sauteed fresh fish. Or canned tuna.

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  4. Hi V - do you have any favourite West Coast greens?

    Frank - excellent idea...

    James - you should write about food, you've made me quite hungry! I love the bread idea. And tuna. Last night we had bruschetta topped with the raw purslane leaves and just-cooked end- of-season garlic scapes, with lemon, olive oil and garlic.

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  5. Add ground sumac, transparently sliced red onions, minced flat leaf parsley to the chopped mint, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses with a healthy pinch of a light salt like pink himalayan. Serve w/ pide, naan, lamb, adana kebap, and a fork. Drink aryan, a pale ale, or a sharp yet soft white, from anywhere that moves you.

    Yummy.

    Pritha

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  6. Is this the purslane that's growing in my garden - with lovely pink blossoms - a cousin to portulaca?

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  7. Hi webb - This purlsane is Portulaca oleracea, and you can eat the ornamental one, too, if you like.

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  8. I like to eat purslane mainly because it is filled with health goodness. I am going to try this recipe with crackers. Can't let go my crackers either. thanks for the simple recipe.

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