Wild Edibles with Mackenzie- Cooking Group Oct 6, 2011

Wild edibles resources

1. www.wildmanstevebrill.com

Steve Brill has an iPhone app that is extremely helpful.

2. www.eattheweeds.com

Green Deane has hundreds of YouTube videos. Just put eat the weeds in the search

box.

3. Vickie Shufer is the local native plants expert and she leads foraging tours in the area.

http://www.ecoimages-us.com/

P.O. Box 61413

Virginia Beach , VA 23466-1413

Phone: 757-421-3929

Email: wildfood@cox.net

Some basic foraging guidelines:

Be certain of identification before you taste any plant.

Do not harvest plants for consumption in drainage ditches, along the sides of highways,

pristine lawns, and gardens, which are likely sprayed with pesticides and herbicides

or another possibly contaminated environment. Do not harvest from private property

without permission.

White sap is a danger sign. There are a few wild edibles with white sap, but many more

poisonous plants with white sap, which is also a skin and eye irritant. White berries are

poisonous 99% of the time.

All mints are edible, all mustards are edible, and all mallows are edible, with varying

degrees of palatability. Learn the defining characteristics of these families and you open

up a whole world of culinary possibilities!

If it looks like a mint and smells like a mint, it is a mint. If it looks like an onion and

smells like an onion, it is an onion. If it has one, but lacks the other, steer clear.

When trying something new, start slow. Even edible plants sometimes cause undesirable

reactions in certain individuals.

Never eat a new plant on the same day you find it. Take your time to study it and be

certain you have what you think you have. Even experienced foragers tend to want to

make the plant fit the description sometimes. Some plants you will have to observe

through all seasons to be certain it fits the pattern it should.

Start small and keep at it, your brain will catch on.

Risotto with Mackenzie- Cooking Group Oct 6, 2011

Classic Risotto

12 oz Arborio rice

4 cups heated stock

1 chopped onion

½ Tbsp butter

Parmesan or other grated cheese

4 oz dry white wine

¼ cup cream

Salt to taste

1. In a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter until

golden. Add the rice and stir until well coated and translucent.

2. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in 1 cup of hot stock and simmer

gently.

3. When the stock has been absorbed, add another cup, and continue in this way until all

liquid is absorbed and grains are cooked.

4. Stir in cream and cheese. Salt to taste. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 2 minutes

before serving.

The trick I wanted to share is the one that turns risotto from a fancy elaborate chore into a

quick and easy family dinner. The effect of separating the starches in the grain to expand

and create that yummy sauce that is achieved by constant stirring, can also be achieved

by keeping your risotto at a low boil, so the grains are constantly moving and creating

friction. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, to keep it from scorching or sticking,

and always be sure to make risotto in a heavy bottomed pan.

Other tips:

o Always use fresh parmesean cheese. (Or other hard, strong favored cheese like

asiago, just no freeze dried, shelf stable powders.)

o When adding meat or vegetables, they should be pre-cooked and added at the very

end. This is a perfect place to use leftovers.

o Use no more than one or two additional complementary flavors to keep from

overpowering the delicate flavor of the risotto. For example, basil and pepper or

lemon and sage. Same goes for additions of meat and vegetables.