Skip to main content

Oil-Cured Fromage Blanc-Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves to Soothe the Soul


The world has gone completely mad. Seriously. It has. Between going into our third month of being sheltered in place and the civil unrest due to protests against institutionalized and rampant racism, I needed a little love last night. I walked in the door from work and grabbed Jake for an evening walk. We barely made it to the end of our driveway before I burst into tears, lamenting the world into which we were releasing our brand-new adult; R's 18th birthday was the day before.

As usual, Jake listened to me blubber, he talked, then he listened some more...and I calmed down while we walked around the neighborhood and strategized about how to talk to the boys over dinner about the state of our country. We wanted to convey that they have a voice - as well as an obligation to be agents of change and goodness - but that they can't cross the line into being wrong themselves. We asked if they knew the difference between protestors and looters. They looked at us as if we had three heads, then they succinctly defined the two. Great.

I shared a few protest stories of my own. I did live in Berkeley for five years, after all, and protesting is part of the culture at Cal! Often, I felt, that we were protesting just to protest, not because we felt particularly passionate about a cause. So, we talked to the boys about choosing their protests carefully. And we cautioned them about reading the crowds and looking for red flags if the mood were turning from peaceful to destructive and, ultimately, illegal.

Parenting is tough and emotionally draining at times. I'll leave it at that and move on to the recipe I'm sharing today.


Back in April, my friend and culinary maven Jenn Erickson of Jennuine posted photos of her nasturtium experiment to social media. Her caption - and photos - have been haunting me ever since: "The blanched leaves were filled with #chevre and cured in olive oil with lemon zest and black peppercorns overnight. We enjoyed them for brunch on garlic toast points. Absolutely blissful!! #foraging #edibleflowers #breakfast #brunch #appetizer" Her recipe appears on her blog - Goat Cheese Cigarillos with Olive-Oil Cured Nasturium Leaves. Jenn and I have been friends since college, but I don't think we ever protested together. But we did cook and eat together. Many times.

So, when she messaged me and asked if I wanted to come over and pick some elderflowers, I didn't hesitate. And, as D and I were getting ready to leave, she asked if I wanted any nasturtium flowers or leaves. Ummm...yes! We grabbed just a few and I knew I wanted to attempt my version of her cigarillos with what I had on-hand which was fromage blanc instead of chevre.

Ingredients serves 4

  • 6 to 8 nasturtium leaves
  • 2 Tablespoons nasturtium petals
  • 1/3 cups fromage blanc (feel free to substitute cream cheese or any other spreadable cheese you like)
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • lemon zest or curls
  • olive oil, as needed
  • water
  • Also needed: toasted bread for serving


Procedure

Destem your nasturium leaves. Fill a saucepan with water and heat until it is beginning to steam. Quickly plunge one leaf at a time into the water. I use tongs to hold the leaf, release it so it float flat on top, then I grab it again with the tongs and place it flat on a plate. Repeat until all of the leaves are blanched.


Place the fromage blanc, petals, and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Add a few grinds of salt and pepper. Then use a spoon to combine the ingredients.


Place a leaf on your workspace or cutting board. Add 1 to 2 T filling to the leaf. And roll into a tight cylinder.


Place the rolled leaves into a container and pour enough olive oil over them to be mostly submerged. Add your lemon zest or curls. Cover and refrigerate. Leave the rolls to cure overnight.

Before serving remove them from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. 


Slice the rolls in half and serve them on toasted bread. I used some homemade sourdough rye. Garnish with lemon curls and reserve the oil for another use.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce