Unusual Vegetables
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Cardoons, salsify, odd greens, beans and other veggies are my specialty: If it is not likely on a typical produce counter, then it’s probably in my garden. You can get many of these odd vegetables at good farmer’s markets, and of course you can grow your own.
BEANS
- Cicerchia Bean Salad, an ancient Italian bean also known as chickling vetch
- Cicerchia Bean Soup, with borage leaves and pheasant confit
- Cicerchia Bean Agnolotti, small ravioli made with acorn or whole wheat flour
- Fresh Fava Bean Spread
- Ancient Roman Fava Bean Dip, with cumin and lovage
- Fresh Chickpeas with Semolina Gnocchi
CARDOONS
- Cardoon Gratin
- Honeyed Cardoons with Pine Nuts and Thyme
- An Ancient Roman recipe for Cardoons with Herb Sauce
- A Tuscan cardoon recipe with parsley, from Juls’ Kitchen
ROOTS
- Sunchoke salad with persimmons
- Salsify (Scorzonera) Croquette
- Twice-Cooked Camas Bulbs, slow baked then fried crispy
MISCELLANEOUS
- Sea Bean Salad (salicornia, saltwort, pickleweed, etc)
- Simple Bracken Fern Salad, fiddleheads first boiled, then sauteed in butter
- Tempura Fried Yucca Flowers
