Spontaneous herbs are found between fields and paths (being careful to avoid land treated with chemicals for agriculture), from the vegetable grower in the nursery, as well as being able to be grown on the terrace (just sow them in wooden boxes filled with universal potting soil ). I am a joker in the kitchen and a resource for natural medicine (infusing dried leaves in hot water).
Here are the main destinations.
borage (left, in the photo): emollient and diuretic. After cooking, it takes on a particular, almost sweet flavor, which makes it perfect in the filling of cakes and ravioli, in risotto or passed in batter and fried.
dandelion (on the right, in the photo): purifying and digestive. it is used fresh in salads (the tenderest leaves), boiled and sautéed in a pan, in soups and fillings.
Chicory, digestive and diuretic: it is mainly used cooked as a side dish or for fillings; the tender leaves are pleasant even raw in salads.
Poppy: analgesic and relaxing. The basal leaves rosette is used (before the plant blooms): cooked it is excellent in the fillings and for making meatballs.
Nettle: anti-inflammatory and rich in minerals. Seared in water, it is excellent for preparing sauces, soups, risotto, omelettes and pies. (Discover the recipes)
The suggestions of the Lady of the Herbs to use them to the top
Starred chef and patron of the Gardenia restaurant of Caluso (To), Mariangela susigan considers wild essences the pillar of his gastronomic creations. not by chance, she is the author of the book the cooking of wild herbs.
How should they be treated?
You have to wash them gently, dipping them in cold water and moving them with open hands. then they dry and cut with a very sharp knife (otherwise they are crushed) and on the bias (to break the filaments).
And in cooking?
You have to put them in strictly hot water and salty, without lid (otherwise blacken). They must be cooked until the stems are soft. Water must be preserved, it is an excellent vegetable broth.
You need to dive them in water and ice to keep the color?
Just for preserve them; otherwise just squeeze and widen them on a tray so that they cool quickly.
A trick of the trade?
before using them, whether it's a side dish, a soup or a filling, I always flavor them: I pass them in a pan with a cube of lard (which I then eliminate), garlic, maybe a sprig of marjoram.
On Sale & Pepe of May 2020
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