Nostalgic vegetables

Our eating habits changed a lot the last 100 years. The old fashioned cooking, with potatoes, meat and vegetable is replaced for a more adventurous way of cooking. Influences of other countries changed our daily diet. Mexican, Asian, Italian cooking is now a part of our eating pattern. Moreover, vegetables are nowadays available the whole year round and we eat winter dishes in summer and visa versa.

This is great. Cooking and eating are much more fun when you can try out different tastes and different ingredients. The other side of the coin however, is that some traditional food is used a lot less, or not at all. This is especially the case with greens. Turnip tops (or turnip greens), rocket, Swiss chard and purslane are the typical spring greens that are hardly available and remembered. In times before especially these greens were very important. After the long winters in the North of Europe, these greens were the first fresh vegetables that people ate.

I have a number of those 'nostalgic' vegetables growing in the garden. In this article I will give information about these veggies and some recipes to inspire your imagination.

Turnip tops

Often called turnip green, turnip leaves or spring leaves.
As the name suggests, this vegetable are the young leaves of the turnip. The turnip is a close relative to radish, but also to rocket and several Chinese cabbage types (cruciferos vegetables or Brassica). The leaves are rich in Vitamins A, C and K and in Calcium and Iron. They can be eaten crude in salads, or cooked, stir fried or mashed with potatoes. For a Mediterranean dish, try the following pasta recipe:

Pasta with Turnip greens

Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 

500g pasta
Bunch of  turnip greens
   cut into manageable pieces
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1 tbsp jar garlic)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
6 flat anchovy

3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir gently with a wooden spoon until golden brown. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, drop the pasta and turnip greens and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in the remaining olive oil until the garlic is lightly browned. Drain the pasta and turnip greens, add to the skillet and sauté for a couple of minutes. Mix well, top with breadcrumbs and cheese and serve.

Swiss Chard

Although Swiss Chard is still very popular in South Europe, in the Northern part we seem to have forgotten this great vegetable. Nowadays we see it sometimes back in salad mixtures in the supermarkets. In Mediterranean countries, Swiss Chard is just as popular as spinach. The most known type is the one with the thick white stems and dark green curly leaves. There are however more types of Swiss Chard, my favorite being the many coloured stems. All types of Swiss Chard can be prepared in the same way as spinach, cooked, sauteed, stir fried, in soups, with eggs etc. 

Swiss chard quiche

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 large eggs

¼ cup milk

salt and black pepper

ground nutmeg

1/2 cup Cheddar, grated 1 

prebaked 9-inch pie-crust

Method

Heat oven to 350° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard and onion and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk; season with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and nutmeg to taste. Add the Cheddar and chard mixture and mix to combine. Pour into the prebaked 9-inch pie-crust and bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes.

Purslane

This might be one of the most forgotten greens of the lot. Purslane contains surprisingly more omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant and even more than most fish. Besides this it is rich in Vitamins A, C and B-complex and in Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and potassium. It can be used in salads, soups, curries or cooked on itself. It is very good in combination with spinach or Swiss Chard.

Tomato, Cucumber, Purslane Salad Recipe

Especially good served with grilled seafood.

INGREDIENTS

·         1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded, then chopped

·         1 medium tomato, chopped

·         1 bunch purslane, thick stems removed, leaves chopped, resulting in about 1/2 cup chopped purslane

·         1 minced seeded jalapeno chili pepper

·         2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

·         Salt to taste

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl. Salt to taste.