Recipes for forgotten food and food that grows even when it’s dry in the summer
Forgotten Foods I
These are recipes for forgotten food and food that grows even when it’s dry in the summer. With the seasons becoming less defined (which is one consequence of climate change) and growing food becoming increasingly difficult under non-reliable circumstances, it makes sense to have a look at the food that nature grows for us and trying to reintegrate it into our diet.
Sorrel
A herbaceous perennial plant that you can cut and cut and cut. It regrows several times a year and with its huge roots, it finds water by itself, even in the driest summers. (It seems that food, where you don’t remove the entire root, is less prone to dryness. If you think about it, it makes sense.) Sorrel is sour and has a lot of oxalic acids (like spinach and rhubarb for example), so you shouldn’t eat sorrel all day, all week, all year. But as it grows in abundance and without the need of being watered, it seems to be one of those forgotten plants that we should bring back into our kitchen.
The most obvious use for sorrel is soup or the sauce that goes with salmon. But try Jamie Oliver’s Risotto or Sabrina Currie's Pesto. They are amazing!
Quince
A sourish fruit with the weirdest shapes which makes it a funny food. It grows on trees and therefore it is another food that doesn’t need extra water or care. And if you plant a quince tree in your garden you get beautiful blossoms in the spring on top. Maybe you know someone who’s got a tree. They usually have way too many quinces once they are ripe.
You can make crumbles, compotes or jam. Or some wintery soups and stews: like Jamie Oliver's soup (yes, I like his recipes because there is room to mess up and it's still good) or the stew from Epicurious (I have only made it without meat and it's really good without) (try this: the second day you make pancakes, roll the stew into the pancakes and bake them with some cheese in the oven…..it’s sooo good!)
Also, if you live in Luxembourg, you definitely need to try my Dad’s Quidden Branntewäin! (*??-)?
(written December 2020)