conscious crumbs

Edible Flowers

As diverse as my culinary adventures may seem, they share a common thread - the pursuit of delicious beauty. The next time you pass your flower garden reconsider it as something tasty and nutritious as well as beautiful. Float a daylily in a punch bowl. Sprinkle violas over an arugula salad. Of course not all flowers are edible, and yes, some are even poisonous. So only eat what you’re certain is edible. These resources will help:

Edible Flower Chart 1  (What’s Cooking America)

Edible Flower Chart 2  (Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University)

Puy Lentils with Sour Cherries, Bacon, and Gorgonzola

My infatuation with all things Ottolenghi continues. This unusual but oh so tasty lentil recipe was adapted from Ottolenghi - The Cookbook. Serve it with a loaf of crusty bread and you’ve got dinner.

125g Puy lentils
2 bay leaves
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 T olive oil
3 T water
1 tspn granulated sugar
60g dried sour cherries
70ml red wine vinegar
8 pieces of bacon
80g fresh baby spinach
120g Gorgonzola cheese
salt and black pepper

1. Rinse the lentils and transfer to a saucepan holding 3 times their height in water.
2. Add the bay leaves, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until just cooked but not mushy.
3. For the sauce, fry the shallots in the olive oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes until golden. Add the water, sugar, cherries and vinegar and leave to simmer over a low heat for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Drain the lentils when they are cooked and immediately add them to the sauce.
5. Adjust the seasoning but keep in mind the cheese and bacon will be adding salt.
6. Fry the bacon until crispy. Cut into strips and add to the lentils.
7. Add the spinach and Gorgonzola cheese and gently combine.

This is great served cold the next day, but can be a bit dry. Just give it a light drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Purple asparagus from the green market ready for a quick blanch. What a sweet taste of spring!