Monday, May 11, 2015

I Don't Worry, I've Got Slurry

There are few things more delicious than a fine green curry, but that's not the subject of today's post. Rather than writing about green curry, today's topic is a green slurry, composed of foraged greens, that makes up a large component of my Spring diet:




This particular slurry contains about fifty percent stinging nettle, and about forty percent garlic mustard, with the remaining mix being curly dock, dandelion greens, and a wild Allium that grows all over the place. While the slurry doesn't look auspicious or delicious, it has a fine flavor. I've already used it as the base for croquettes (adding eggs and bread crumbs), and for a pasta sauce (adding a roux, some milk, and pecorino Romano cheese). The latest use for the slurry is a batch of hortopita, rolled up "cigar style" for ease of snacking:




If I had to guess, I'd bet that the butter/olive oil mix that I brushed the filo dough with has more calories than the rest of the ingredients put together

As the season progesses, the composition of the "slurry" will change. I'm planning on freezing some nettles to tide me over when the plants flower and develop phytoliths, but the main base for the slurry will shift to chenopods and garlic mustard. The current batch of foraged greens is about 50% nettles, 40% garlic mustard, with ten percent a mix of dandelion, dock, alliums, and a hint of plaintain (an herb I'd previously used only as a topic itch reliever).

A spoonful of slurry will cure what ails you!




An entire summer's worth of slurry, and I'll be unstoppable.

6 comments:

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Ya know, I'm going to have to make a green slurry green curry...

Chickpea said...

Hey Big Bad, just catching up with your posts. Those puppies are adorable, I'm planning to get another dog when we move, I'm trying to decide what breed to get, they have gone on the list of possibilities.

Happy Mothers Day to your mum, she sounds like a star.

I wish I had the confidence to forage more, I always think I'm going to pick the wrong plants. I picked what I thought were stinging nettles the other day, but when they didn't actually sting me, I lost my nerve and thought they must be something else. The slurry looks so good though, I may give it another go. I was booked to do a foraging course, the messed up my knee.

Happy foraging!

Smut Clyde said...

a wild Allium that grows all over the place

Not the dreaded Allium triquetrum? Feckin' stuff is a weed here. I don't know why since you can eat the whole thing, leaves and bulb.

Smut Clyde said...

Never need to worry with a tin of Hurry Curry!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I'm feeling blurry...
~

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

I wish I had the confidence to forage more, I always think I'm going to pick the wrong plants. I picked what I thought were stinging nettles the other day, but when they didn't actually sting me, I lost my nerve and thought they must be something else.

I can't eat this plant, it didn't hurt me!

Not the dreaded Allium triquetrum? Feckin' stuff is a weed here. I don't know why since you can eat the whole thing, leaves and bulb.

Nah, more like a wild chive or scallion. Eat the invaders, Smut!

Never need to worry with a tin of Hurry Curry!

Hurry Curry leaves my tongue furry!

I'm feeling blurry...

A curry slurry will fix your blurry worry in a hurry.