Cooky Cat

Verdolagas Rules

Listen to the video by P18 first to get into the right frame of mind.

Verdolagas is purslane. It's a weed, man. We just got back from the farmers market in Paterson, New Jersey where we scored a big bunch for a mere buckaroo. Our farmer friend drove some 50 miles down from Goshen, New York to the market just to sell it to us.

I don't advise my other furry friends to venture into a farmers market during the height of the selling time. It's wall to wall people, and twice as many feet from where I stand. My tail needs a rest. Ouch!

Anyway, purslane is so common it is rare. In most gardens it's treated as a weed. But the eating qualities and nutritional value are superior. Dig some soon.

You can simply chop the leaves and tender stems into a salad or salsa. Or cook it up in this recipe from El Chavo. Here it is in abbreviated Cooky Cat fashion:

Cook a sauce made with tomatillos, onion, hot green chile. Add in chopped blanched purslane. Crumble in some queso fresco if you like, El Chavo style. (We're thinking just about any melty or grated sharp cheese would also be worth a try.) Serve in warm tortillas or, how about over boiled potatoes or with bite size pasta. For breakfast, tomatillo/verdolaga sauce with scrambled eggs.

Weeds are nothing if not versatile.

Thanking El Chavo for the inspiration.