3 recipes that use purslane, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Sopa de beldroegas, takes 50 minutes. It is most often cooked with garlic, onion and bay leaves.
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Purslane grows wild between the maize rows of Central Mexico, and in the rainy season markets sell it in big damp bunches, mostly for this pork dish. Cubes of pork shoulder are simmered until tender, browned in their own fat and finished in green tomatillo salsa with the juicy, slightly lemony leaves. Eat it with white rice and corn tortillas. Chef's tip: keep the pork broth; a ladle of it in the salsa gives the stew its body.
Purslane grows wild between the rows of Alentejo vegetable gardens in summer, and country cooks pick it for this lemony, slightly peppery soup: potatoes and purslane simmered with garlic and olive oil, then finished with eggs poached in the broth and slices of fresh goat's cheese that soften in the heat. It is served over bread, as so many Alentejo soups are. The fresh cheese is usually made with animal rennet; choose a soft goat's cheese or ricotta made with vegetarian rennet if you need to. If you can't find purslane, watercress or spinach make a fair stand-in. Chef's tip: add the cheese only in the last minute, so it warms and softens but doesn't melt away.
Purslane grows wild between the tea rows and maize fields of Giresun and Ordu, and in high summer it ends up in pirpirim çorbası, a lemony, slightly tangy soup thickened with cracked wheat and soft white beans. Families make it in big pots on hot days because it is just as good served lukewarm as piping hot. The fleshy leaves turn silky, the bulgur gives a gentle chew and a spoon of yoghurt on top makes it a full lunch. Common mistake: adding the purslane too early so it turns slimy and grey; it needs only 10 minutes. Chef's tip: keep a few raw sprigs back and stir them in at the end for crunch and a fresh green colour.
Mexican
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