[edibleseasonals]
Nasturtiums
VEGETABLE, HERB, FRUIT, FLOWER BY ELLEN JACKSON
10 l EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2013
PHOTO BY JOSHUA McCULLOUGH
T
he mantra of any well-run professional kitchen, where food cost is tied closely to success, is “use everything.” So I wasn’t surprised when many of the chefs contributing to the book I spent the last year writing, The Chefs Collaborative Cookbook, sent me recipes for Rainbow Chard Stem Gratin (bubbly, cheesy and bread-crumb topped), Broccoli Hushpuppies (made with the stems and cheddar cheese, they beg to be dipped in apple butter or garlicky ranch dressing) and Pappa al Pomodoro (the Tuscan, porridge-like soup made from overripe tomatoes and yesterday’s bread). Still, I wasn’t expecting Nasturtium Soup with Braised Pistachios. Tropaeolum majus are known by their common name, nasturtium, because they produce oil similar to nasturtium officinale, or watercress, a close family member. Classified at various times in history as vegetable, herb, fruit and flower, nasturtiums are all those things. Traditionally they have played a dominant role in the garden, where they brighten borders and thrive in poor conditions, but I think nasturtiums also belong in the kitchen. The flowers, which are edible, make an arresting addition to salads and main courses. The pale green flower buds, which look like tiny zombie brains, can be picked at summer’s end and pickled like capers. And then there are the leaves. Grassy green and shaped like Capuchin monks’ robe hoods, leaves of the flowering plant are packed with vitamin C and have a pungent, peppery flavor that is equally at home on an
egg salad sandwich or in place of arugula on a pizza. Tender, young foliage might become salad, pesto or a bright sauce to spoon over grilled fish. Larger, more mature leaves stand in nicely for grape leaves, holding up well to stuffing, rolling and heat. Plant nasturtiums at the base of your fruit trees, or in and around your kitchen garden. Once you’ve eaten your fill, allow the aphids and slugs that adore them to feast on their leaves; in doing so, they’ll be distracted from the more precious crops above and around them. It’s all about making your ingredients work for you. Creativity and thrift are tenets of the food revolution sweeping the country. And not just in professional kitchens. Home cooks everywhere are pickling watermelon rind, buying whole animals directly from their producers and putting up what looks like too many quarts of tomatoes, but it’s never enough. What’s next? Nasturtium Soup, that’s what. ep
Ellen Jackson is a Portland-based writer, cookbook author and food stylist.
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Find recipes for Nasturtium Soup and more in The Chefs Collaborative Cookbook, a celebration of 20 years of work by the national Chefs Collaborative organization, which brings together 6,000 chefs, farmers, fishers, educators and other food professionals to promote a clean, resilient food supply.
Quick & Easy NASTURTIUMS
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RECIPES
Raw
Puréed
Combine tender, young nasturtium leaves and petals with mild greens, spinach, mâche or miners lettuce, fruity olive oil and lemon juice. Or lightly coat the leaves with buttermilk dressing spiked with toasted fennel seeds, and toss with roasted beets and thin slices of fennel and tart apples, or wedges of creamy avocado and orange or grapefruit sections. Use the leaves in the same places that watercress would be welcome: on egg and chicken salad sandwiches, chopped and folded into crab or shrimp salad, or piled on slices of bread thickly spread with sweet butter and sprinkled with coarse salt.
Oh, how our definition of pesto has expanded! These days, we make it with marjoram, nettles, asparagus and sorrel. When substituting nasturtiums for basil, stick to the usual formula and ratios as the leaves are naturally assertive and able to hold their own next to pesto’s other strong flavors. Try toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts. Stir the pesto into vichyssoise, spread it on pizza dough before topping with shaved asparagus and Parmesan and baking, or spoon it over roasted cauliflower. Thinned slightly, it becomes a delicious sauce for lamb chops, poached halibut or grilled salmon.
Pickled
Stuffed
Toward the end of summer, when the blossoms have faded and dropped, gather the soft, still-green seeds of the nasturtium plant to make capers. Soak the seeds in cold, salty water and cover with white wine vinegar infused with fresh herbs and spices. Bay leaves, garlic, celery seeds, peppercorns, whole cloves and lemon zest all make good additions. After three to four weeks, the capers are ready to be used. Put them in a warm potato salad, sauce verte or a pan sauce for fish made with brown butter, lemon juice and parsley.
Grape leaves can be difficult to work with when making dolmas; large, mature nasturtium leaves are supple and less likely to tear, and stand up to steaming. Stuff them with a traditional ground lamb and rice filling, or experiment with grains like quinoa or farro and roasted vegetables. Blossoms can be filled with herbed goat cheese, cream cheese or mascarpone.
EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2013 l 11
[edibleseasonals]
Recipe NASTURTIUM
Find more seasonal recipes at edibleportland.com
PHOTO BY JOSHUA McCULLOUGH
Nasturtium Soup with Braised Pistachios Nasturtium leaves add depth and gorgeous color to this soup, which is full of subtle flavors. Make this recipe over two days, blending the nasturtium leaves into the rest of the chilled soup base just before serving to retain their vibrant color. 3
Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2
medium (or 3 small) onions, thinly sliced
2
small bunches scallions, thinly sliced with greens
4
sprigs fresh thyme
2 12 3/4 10 4 1/4
bay leaves black peppercorns cup dry white wine or vermouth cups vegetable stock cups fresh nasturtium leaves, loosely packed cup heavy cream Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Braised pistachios (recipe follows) Nasturtium flowers to garnish (optional)
1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the scallions, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns, and stir. Cook 2 to 3 more minutes. 2. Increase the heat to medium high and add the white wine, using it to deglaze the pan, loosening any bits that have browned and stuck to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until the white wine reduces by about one half. Add the vegetable stock and reduce by half again. You should have approximately 6 cups. 3. Chill until completely cold. PurĂŠe the nasturtium leaves, strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add to the chilled base. Add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. 4. To serve, bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper and serve, garnished with braised pistachios and nasturtium flowers. Makes 6 servings
12 l EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2013
BRAISED PISTACHIOS
Braising pistachios in vegetable stock flavored with generous amounts of onion, garlic, herbs and cardamom adds unusually delicious flavor and pleasing texture to the silky smooth soup. 3
Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2
small onion, sliced
1
clove garlic, sliced
4
sprigs fresh thyme
2
bay leaves
1/2
tsp ground cardamom
1/2
cup white wine
2
cups shelled pistachios
1
cup vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Warm the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add the bay leaves, thyme and cardamom, and sauté 1 minute longer. 2. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until nearly all of the liquid is gone and the onions are dry. Add the pistachios and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, to lightly toast and incorporate with the onions. Cover with the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer slowly until the stock is nearly gone and the pistachios appear dry. Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent the onions and pistachios from sticking, and to keep them moistened with stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The nuts can be made up to 3 days in advance of serving them and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups
Recipes by Justin Aprahamian, chef-owner of Sanford Restaurant in Milwaukee, WI, from the Chefs Collaborative Cookbook: Local, Sustainable, Delicious Recipes from America’s Great Chefs by Ellen Jackson. Published by The Taunton Press, 2013.
EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2013 l 13
[ediblegarden]
We’re spending a year with master gardener Tim Lanfri to bring you tips straight from his Washington County garden. This is our fourth of four installments.
ripe opportunity BY ANGIE JABINE
B
PHOTOS BY SHAWN LINEHAN
eginning gardeners often prepare and plant their beds in June, filling them with tomatoes, corn and squash, Master Gardener Tim Lanfri has noticed. There’s nothing wrong with that–after all, the incomparable taste of just-picked tomatoes and sweet corn is why most of us garden in the first place, and as for squash, there’s no cure for a black thumb like the satisfaction of harvesting this most forgiving of all
crops. But here’s the thing. Thanks to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the West Coast is blessed with a maritime climate that protects us from weather extremes and dramatic temperature swings. Unlike most other parts of the country, gardeners in the Willamette Valley can plant cool-weather crops at the height of summer and harvest them in the fall or the following spring.
14 l EDIBLE PORTLAND SUMMER 2013