Herb Of The Week - Purslane - Recipe - Mexican Purslane Stuffing

[Guest guest]

This looks yummy!

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

Green Tea Seed Oil

Yummy With Purslane

<http://www.alittleolfactory.com> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/recipes/purslane.html

 

MEXICAN PURSLANE STUFFING

 

 

This is a home-type dish that is as simple to prepare as " scrambled eggs

with... " but much more nutritious. Serve as a side dish, a brunch main

dish or as a filling in tortillas and pitas.

 

 

 

 

 

1 to 1 pounds fresh purslane

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic

 

1 small onion, finely chopped

 

1 medium-size ripe tomato, chopped (not skinned)

 

1 SERRANO or jalapeno chile, finely chopped, or freshly cracked black

pepper, according to taste

 

2 to 3 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

 

1 egg beaten

 

1. Set aside a few raw springs of purslane for garnish. Steam or blanch

the rest until tender-crisp (three to five minutes). Drain thoroughly,

transfer to a plate covered with several layers of paper towels and blot

dry.

 

2. In a large pan, saute garlic and onion in vegetable oil until soft.

Add tomato and chile, and sauté until the mixture becomes sauce-like.

Season with soy sauce. (If you aren¹t using the chile, add freshly

ground black pepper.) Sauté until mixture is warm and the flavors marry.

 

 

 

3. When ready to serve, add the beaten egg to the warm mixture in the

pan and mix gently. The egg will bind the mixture loosely but should not

harden into scrambled eggs. Garnish plate servings with reserved sprigs.

 

 

 

YIELD: 4 servings

 

 

PER SERVING (estimated): 91 calories, 4 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 5 g

fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 68 percent U.S. RDA Vitamin A, 77

percent U.S. RDA Vitamin C.

 

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Q. I have a terrible weed problem in my garden that I hope you can help

me with. For several years I have had a weed which is a low and

semi-succulent annual, whose stems spread mat-like over the ground,

sprouting sprigs of fleshy little leaves and tiny yellow flowers. These

pesky plants are even popping up in my flower bed and the more I chop

the more plants there seem to be! How can I get rid of these pests?

 

A. Why would you want to eliminate the first " vegetable " which is ready

to harvest in everyone's garden? You are describing purslane. Purslane

is also the heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant flower which is sometimes

referred to as the Dolly Parton flower because it blooms from 9 a.m. to

5 p.m. The smaller blooming " weedy " cousin of the cultivated Dolly

Parton flower as well as Dolly herself have suddenly become the belles

of the garden among creative chefs and nutritionists. Although purslane

has proliferated as a wild edible around the world for centuries, in its

renaissance purslane is acclaimed for not one, but two starring

attractions: the rediscovery of its cooking possibilities--its

tinker-toy eye appeal, crisp texture and lightly tangy taste--and the

scientific discovery of its potentially healthful omega-3 fatty acids.

If this weren't enough, it has above average values of Vitamins A and C

and provides all of these goodies with only 15 calories in a 100-gram

portion (as compared with 76 in a boiled potato).

 

 

Purslane is eaten extensively in soups and salads throughout the

Mediterranean area, where the incidence of heart disease is low. The

Russians dry and can it for the winter. In Mexico it is called VERDOLAGA

and is a favorite comfort food, eaten in an omelet or as a side dish,

rolled in tortillas, or dropped by handfuls into soups and stews.

 

 

The exciting new health discovery is purslane's high content of alpha

linolenic acid, a type of the omega-3 fatty acids. It may affect human

health directly, but the most intriguing possibility is that the human

body might be able to convert into other, related kinds of omega-3 fatty

acids (EPA and DHA) found in fish oils. Researchers see evidence that

these substances lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as

make the blood less likely to form clots. But ages before this

scientific finding, purslane was eaten as treatment for arthritis,

inflammation and heart disease and to promote general good health.