Photos and text by KARA DiCAMILLO/ecoRI.org News
contributor
My CSA share with Simmons Organic Farm certainly keeps me
on my toes. This week, I picked up something called purslane, a plant that
looked like perhaps an herb of some sort. But when I started to do some
research, I realized that it looked very familiar.
Purslane is actually a weed, and one that I’ve pulled
from my gardens many times. It can be found growing in flower and vegetable
beds, and basically in any unshaded area. The leaves look succulent and form a
rosette shape.
While it’s believed to be native to Iran or India,
apparently purslane has been a medicinal plant for hundreds of years in Latin
America, mostly because it contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other
leafy vegetable plant. Native Americans also used it for burns, earaches,
stomachaches and headaches.
Purslane is considered a vegetable green and is used in
many Latin American countries, France and other European countries. It is
popular as a salad green because of its similarity to watercress in taste and
consistency. I was surprised that purslane doesn’t have any sort of bitter
taste at all, and actually really enjoyed it fresh.
I was reading about different ways to use purslane and
found that the Greeks like to fry it and eat it with fresh tomatoes and feta
cheese. Though that sounded delicious, I thought I’d mix it up a bit by using
sweet watermelon, which complemented the saltiness of the feta cheese and
olives nicely.
Summer Watermelon Salad
Makes 4 appetizers
Makes 4 appetizers
Half cup of canola oil
Quarter cup of purslane leaves (de-stemmed)
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Half a watermelon, cubed
Quarter cup of olives (black or Kalamata), halved
Quarter cup of feta cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Quarter cup of purslane leaves (de-stemmed)
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Half a watermelon, cubed
Quarter cup of olives (black or Kalamata), halved
Quarter cup of feta cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Heat
the canola oil in a shallow pan over medium heat and add the purslane leaves —
be sure to wear an apron and step back because it splatters. Once the leaves
are crisp, about a minute, remove from the heat and place on a paper towel.
Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.