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Zesty
Nasturtiums
The flowers,
leaves, and seed pods of nasturtiums are all edible and
their flash and
dash has made many a cook look like a pro. The flavor
is tangy and mustard like,
with an added perfume and sweetness.
Harvest flowers just as they open.
Swish them in water and look for
baby earwigs and snails hiding in the
blossoms. The easiest way to
use nasturtiums is to sprinkle them over
salads. Try adding small
whole leaves and petals removed from the
flowers. Both leaves and
flowers are great minced and incorporated into
butter or cream
cheese, and used to flavor oils, vinegars, and
dressings.
Immature
seeds can be pickled and used as you would capers in
salads and on
pizza. And, of course, there are few garnishes more
lovely than
nasturtiums. When using nasturtiums in a dressing try
tempering their
bite with honey or fruit juice. When combining them
with salad greens
select cresses and baby mustards, which have a
similar flavor, and
balance them with mild lettuces. When it comes to
their colors, you
might like to feature all one color one time, then
include the whole
spectrum for a totally different effect the next time.
One thing is
probably certain, once you have tried nasturtiums in your
cooking,
it will be hard to live without them.
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