Once a month, when I’m at the grocery store, I try to pick up some ingredient I’ve never used before. It gives my culinary wanderings a sense of adventure. Sometimes I even search for a specific item (like last year’s hunt for blue potato) just to see what it’s like.
Generally I’ll find the simplest preparation of the item so I can get a sense of what the ingredient is like, without having it get lost in other flavors.
I’ll tell you, blue potatoes did not change my life the way I thought they would. They’re really really starchy, so they would hold up well in a potato salad, but then you lose the pretty blue presentation. They’re also good pan-fried but, again, if you sear the outside you lose what makes them nifty—that weird-ass color. I think what made them so much fun was that it took me a little while to find them. I finally got them at Jacksonville’s Blue Buddha, which sadly is now catering only to their restaurant clients.
Now since I brought home a batch of dandelion greens, I’ve been really thoughtful. My husband hated, and I mean HATED, the dandelion greens that I stir fried with a bit of garlic, some oil and a little lemon juice. They are pretty bitter, but I was already imagining them in a heavy cream sauce with other ingredients. I’ve been thinking about slipping them in some recipe that they would be amazing in, despite their bitterness. I can’t resist the challenge of wowing my husband with some recipe that includes them.
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2 comments:
I've always wanted to try dandelion greens, but was afraid of their bitterness. it seems that the ones we buy in the store are the most bitter part of the plant. apparently, the wild variety, complete with the little buds or flowering parts, just after they unearth are the most tender and least bitter, but good luck getting your hands on any of those! ;)
all that aside, i finally got to try them at Millennium while visiting San Francisco. sure, they were wild and likely less bitter due to that fact, but they braised them with hoisin and OH MAN was that good!
i'm planning to try the store bought variety this way soon, hoping that the addition of the smokey sweet hoisin will counterbalance the bitterness.
'm sure once that happens, the results? stright to the blog! hehe
I heard from a Brit friend of mine that they're only really bitter if they're too old or something.
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