Purslane Potato Salad

Greetings Neighborhood School CSAers! This is Gina with another recipe for you.

So you know that bunch of what was called “sprouts” on the list last week? The ones that looked like this:

Well, they aren’t sprouts at all. It’s called purslane (verdolagas in Spanish) and it’s super packed with nutrition. Some people consider purslane a weed. It can be used to flavor stews, thrown into an omelet/scrambled eggs at the very end of cooking, or eaten raw. It’s peppery and lemony, and happens to be go nicely with potatoes.

I found a recipe for Purslane Potato Salad, which I’ve modified.  The original recipe was found here:  http://www.diaryofalocavore.com/2008/08/purslane-potato-salad.html

Ingredients:
5 cups chopped potatoes
1/2 to 1 whole cucumber
1 cup purslane leaves and buds
1 cup chopped scallions with greens
white vinegar – a splash
salt to taste
Mayonnaise mixed with ground chili pepper powder (not flakes) to taste

Boil or microwave the potatoes in water until edible; drain and set aside to cool.

Halve the cucumber, scoop out the seeds and slice into thin crescent moons. Place in a large bowl/container. Add the scallions and purslane leaves. Toss by hand, adding a splash of white or cider vinegar and salt to taste. Add the potatoes and toss again. Mix in several tablespoons of mayonnaise to taste and serve.

Note: The original recipe calls for making your own mayo, but this may be a challenge for some people. If you have a hand mixer or electric whisk, you may want to give it a try as fresh mayo is much more vibrant than store bought. I also would not recommend using olive oil if you make your own mayo as I found it tastes too strong for this recipe. A good video for making mayo can be found here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz0fLT_k3_U

I found it easier to slowly drizzle in the oil rather than dumping it all in at once as I couldn’t get it to emulsify like this guy. Maybe with a bit of practice!

Next time – a refreshing kale and avocado salad.

Have a good one CSAers,

Gina