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Cooking: Green salad with edible flowers
By Roberto Menegati* | Sotaque Brasileiro, # 4, Spring 2004
spring rhymes with flowers that rhymes with food. That's right! Our recipe suggestion for this season is Green Salad with Edible Flowers. Pansy and Chrysanthemums are great examples of palatable flowers. But they are not the only ones. Other recommendations include pansies, rose petals, marigold, begonia, tulip, geranium, lavender, lilac and violets. The special touch is the aroma of flowers and petals that are used to garnish the dish.
It is important to remember that not all flowers can be eaten. Some, like iris, azaleas, dauphin, poinsettia and wisteria are poisonous. Another important thing to remember is that the flowers used in cooking cannot be the same as we usually buy at nurseries, since they are grown with chemicals, being a risk to your health. The idea is to buy them in the salad section of supermarkets or even plant them in your garden especially for your gastronomic creations.
Above all, lavish in your creativity when decorating your plate. And do not be afraid to experiment, after all, many people already use flowers in various recipes, such as broccoli, artichoke and cauliflower.
Recipe Tip:
Green salad with edible flowers
1 bunch watercress
1 bunch arugula
12 mint leaves
10 red cherry tomatoes, halved
6 edible flowers like Pansy and Chrysanthemums
Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of ½ yellow lemon
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
Mix first in a bowl the vinegar, mustard, lemon, honey, pepper and salt. Finally, add the oil slowly and beat it.
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* Roberto Mengati is food stylist and chef of Great Cooks, a restaurant-school located at The Bay (Yonge /Queen).
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