Really Good Foods You Probably Haven't Tried

[Linney]

Soft pickled lemons:



It sounds awful but preserved lemons are a key ingredient in many delightful Moroccan recipes.

--Linney

 

[ladelfina]

a recent discovery (for me). Purslane...

That took over one of my potted geraniums.. I didn't know it was edible.
I'm kinda afraid to try it.
It looks too 'succulent'.. like it would taste like aloe or something.

ew.. yeah, I see your clipping says "mucilaginous".
Maybe a soup would be a way to ease into it.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

It sounds awful but preserved lemons are a key ingredient in many delightful Moroccan recipes.

We've got a serious bucket full out in the garage fridge that I laid in earlier this year when our lemon trees finally gave up their last batch.

To make, cut lemons into slices or chunks and layer into a storage container with a tight fitting lid, coating and layering the lemon pieces with kosher salt. Basically you cant have too much salt. When you're done, pour lemon juice over the whole shebang until the lemons are well covered. Cover and refrigerate. Sloosh it around every day or two for about 2-3 weeks. Then pour an inch of olive oil over the top.

The preserved lemons will last for about 3-4 months on their own, but you double it by 'sealing' the concoction with the olive oil.

The rinds and pith will soften over the initial 3 weeks to a (better than it sounds) soft gelatinous state and the whole lemon is completely edible. You may use the lemony-salty olive oil topping wherever you'd like a lemony-salty olive oil (think chicken skin before roasting?), you can use the salty lemon juice on chicen or fish, and the lemons once rinsed thoroughly can be used anywhere you use a lemon...pureed in a dressing, in a salad, in a tagine, etc. I have a recipe in the early retirement cookbook for a chicken/green olive/preserved lemon tagine that is one of my wifes favorite dishes.

I've never tried it, but I see no reason why you couldnt try limes or grapefruit in the same preservation scheme.

 

[Trek]

We like these wholegrain Rye crispy snackbreads. As you can guess from the name, they're made in Finland.

We like to top them with a little homemade tuna salad, tomatoes and cucumber slices for a healthy lite lunch.

 

[saluki9]

We've got a serious bucket full out in the garage fridge that I laid in earlier this year when our lemon trees finally gave up their last batch.

To make, cut lemons into slices or chunks and layer into a storage container with a tight fitting lid, coating and layering the lemon pieces with kosher salt. Basically you cant have too much salt. When you're done, pour lemon juice over the whole shebang until the lemons are well covered. Cover and refrigerate. Sloosh it around every day or two for about 2-3 weeks. Then pour an inch of olive oil over the top.

The preserved lemons will last for about 3-4 months on their own, but you double it by 'sealing' the concoction with the olive oil.

The rinds and pith will soften over the initial 3 weeks to a (better than it sounds) soft gelatinous state and the whole lemon is completely edible. You may use the lemony-salty olive oil topping wherever you'd like a lemony-salty olive oil (think chicken skin before roasting?), you can use the salty lemon juice on chicen or fish, and the lemons once rinsed thoroughly can be used anywhere you use a lemon...pureed in a dressing, in a salad, in a tagine, etc. I have a recipe in the early retirement cookbook for a chicken/green olive/preserved lemon tagine that is one of my wifes favorite dishes.

I've never tried it, but I see no reason why you couldnt try limes or grapefruit in the same preservation scheme.

Do these taste like the pickled lemons you would find at an Indian restaurant? Is there any residual salty taste?

 

[Khan]

No Fair! Al wanted products, not ingredients. But, since you started, I'll post a recent discovery (for me). Purslane...

Portulaca oleracea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




It is a weed, and it is really good in a salad, or by itself. HAve not tried cooking it yet. DW won't eat it. Even though I showed her there were dozens of upscale restaurants featuring it. Maybe if they offer it at the fancy French place we go to once in a blue moon...


-ERD50

I've been harvesting some from the back yard and putting it in salads. Tasty.

 

[ERD50]

That took over one of my potted geraniums.. I didn't know it was edible.
I'm kinda afraid to try it.
It looks too 'succulent'.. like it would taste like aloe or something.

ew.. yeah, I see your clipping says "mucilaginous".
Maybe a soup would be a way to ease into it.

Really nothing to be afraid of. I think the 'mucilaginous' is if you cook them. A bit like the way okra will give up a bit of that 'slime'.

I have not cooked any yet, and have not noticed that when raw. Nice and crisp raw. Flavorful, but nothing 'out there', just adds a nice spiciness/complexity to a salad, and good on their own. Maybe the larger stems would be more of an issue, I don't know, I trim down to the smaller little branches.

c'mon now, you have to try it and report back. Maybe DW will follow your lead!

-ERD50

 

[HFWR]

Best way to prep/eat okra is pickled. Another southern "delicacy" is pickled eggs, usually prepped in the left over pickling solution from pickled [-]baloney[/-] bologna.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, I miss the new england dive bars that all had jars of pickled eggs and pigs feet under the counter...

 

[ziggy29]

Crepes with Nutella and sliced banana. There you go.

 

[Martha]

No Fair! Al wanted products, not ingredients. But, since you started, I'll post a recent discovery (for me). Purslane...

Portulaca oleracea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




It is a weed, and it is really good in a salad, or by itself. HAve not tried cooking it yet. DW won't eat it. Even though I showed her there were dozens of upscale restaurants featuring it. Maybe if they offer it at the fancy French place we go to once in a blue moon...


-ERD50

Purslane is the ban of my existence in my gardens. But yes, it tastes fine. I am not so fond of it cooked, the texture isn't the best for cooking.

Amaranth (pigweed) is good too, a relative of spinach i believe. I also like lambsquarters.

 

[ERD50]

Purslane is the ban of my existence in my gardens. But yes, it tastes fine.

Of course now that I've taken a liking to it, I'm having trouble finding much of it in my garden!

Amaranth (pigweed) is good too, a relative of spinach i believe. I also like lambsquarters.

I'll have to try those (heck DW already thinks I'm nuts). I know we have lambsquarters, but I'll check some sources - descriptions can vary from area to area.

My Dad was big on this stuff, dandelion greens, mustard greens (in those days they could be high in lead if picked from roadsides). I'm a bit more selective, but I do find this purslane to be interesting.

-ERD50

 

[Sarah in SC]

Best way to prep/eat okra is pickled. Another southern "delicacy" is pickled eggs, usually prepped in the left over pickling solution from pickled [-]baloney[/-] bologna.

An outrageous lie! The best way to eat okra is to slice it into lovely little coins and FRY it! Crunchy and fabulous and not on my diet. I'm grossed out by okra any other way.
My mom makes pickled eggs for my DH sometimes. He loves them.

 

[TromboneAl]

BTW, who uses margarine anymore? I thought that was debunked years ago?

Butter, or olive oil.

Right. We use ICBINBL (I can't believe it's not better (light)), but I couldn't figure a way to phrase it without being distracting, so I said "margarine."

And here's a tip: when you spread ICBINBL and jelly on toast, spread the jelly first! This way, the ICBINBL doesn't melt, and you get nice tasty globs for your tongue. Try it.

Hmmm, come to think of it, T-AL does have problems when it comes to milk....

Speaking of that, and at the risk of getting this thread closed, we've switched to Costco fat-free milk, and it's been excellent. Ever gallon has tasted great.

 

[Puzzley]

If I'm going to drink soda, it has to be this one:

Vernor's ginger ale is the best! If you're from Michigan, you know about this stuff. It seems to be spreading a bit, though. We can get it in the grocery stores in KY. Comes in diet, too.

 

[BOBOT]

Purslane is the ban of my existence in my gardens. But yes, it tastes fine. I am not so fond of it cooked, the texture isn't the best for cooking.

Amaranth (pigweed) is good too, a relative of spinach i believe. I also like lambsquarters.

At our farmer's mkt we get a pesto made from sorrel. Fantastic flavor. I'd make it myself if I could find the stuff; I understand it grows wild, don't know if you can cultivate it.

 

[Bestwifeever]

It's amazing that you buy almost anything in today's supermarkets--chorizo is sold in WalMarts, for example, and canned chipotle peppers in adobo (something I first tasted in 25 years ago in Mexico in chicken/cilantro/lime/chickpea soup) are on the local supermarket shelf, and today cilantro is as easy to buy as fresh parsley. Had Nutella and Orangina (also available everywhere now) so many years ago in Europe--thanks for the thread, TromboneAl!

 

[Donzo]

I make alot of my own salsa - when the fresh ingedients are available. If the tomatoes are orange/jalapenos like bell peppers - I buy Herdez salsa ranchera - very tasty/smoky and spicey - most other bottled/canned salsas are a big waste....

A quick recipe: Start with a saltine, add a thin slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese - put half a clove of raw garlic on the cheese - put a slice of raw jalapeno on the garlic - put a small dollop of salsa ranchera on the jalapeno - - put the whole thing in your mouth.....it is outstanding! I put these together for guests - everyone loves em. This contraption will keep you healthy as well!

 

[HFWR]

Joe Garcia brand salsa is perty dang good.

http://www.joets.com/

I make fresh salsa in the blender with several tomatoes, a tomatillo, 2-3 jalapenos, a small onion, about half a bunch of cilantro, and a clove or two of garlic. Whip it, whip it good!

Better yet, roast all the ingredients first.

You can add some vinegar or citrus (lemon/lime) as a preservative.

 

[FinanceDude]

cannibal snadwiches............

 

[Puzzley]

cannibal snadwiches............

Hey, Dude, are the cannibals generally avalable fresh in the local grocery?

 

[HFWR]

cannibal snadwiches............

Shouldn't that be "nad" wiches?

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've never had a snadwich, how do you keep the cannibals inside the bread from moving?

 

[Bestwifeever]

cannibal snadwiches............

Okay, you made me look--

from http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=263367

Q. Is there a safe way to make cannibal sandwiches for my relatives over the holidays? A. No, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
(blah blah, salmonella, e coli., blah blah, don't eat raw eggs either)

The relatives should be eaten separately, I imagine...

 

[Khan]

cannibal snadwiches............

When I was a child, Mother would go to the local deli/butcher shop/bakery on Saturday mornings and buy hard rolls (or some wonderful sour rye bread) and raw ground sirloin; we would eat that for brunch, she called them cannibal burgers (Father liked a slice of raw onion on his).