Having a salad at your desk today? I’m so sorry. Until recently, prewashed supermarket spinach and kale were the base of my sad desk salad too.
But now that I’ve escaped desk life, I’ve been delving into the culinary traditions of Mexico, where I have lived for the better part of the last 13 years. My exploration led me to become more acquainted with a whole new (to me) world of greens – quelites!
What is a quelite? Quite simply, it’s an edible herb that grows wild. At times misunderstood as weeds, they’ve been part of the diet in Mesoamerica since the time of the Mexicas (a culture predating the Aztecs) and play an important role in the milpa, the traditional method of intercropping. Depending on who you ask, there are over 350 varieties of quelites found in the Americas boasting many nutritional benefits, primarily, being high in fiber, vitamin B, betacarotene and other antioxidants. Some of the most common quelites in Mexico are epazote, pápalo, chaya, quelite cenizo, chivito, quintonil, lengua de vaca (or vinagrera), and verdolagas.
The most common quelite you’ll find in Mexican cuisine is probably epazote, a strong-smelling leaf often cooked with beans – a perfect companion given its gas and bloating preventive properties. It’s also thought to be an anti-parasitic, as the head chef at the Escuela de Gastronomia Mexicana likes to note, if you’re repulsed by the smell of epazote it’s because of parasites rebelling in your stomach. Across Mexico, you’ll find epazote tucked into quesadillas and perfuming a broad range of soups, stews, and bean dishes. Dried epazote doesn’t retain much flavor or health benefits, but fortunately, it is widely available fresh in markets.
Pápalo is a quelite most often found on taco stands all around Mexico City. Eaten raw, many taqueros perch a bright green bunch on the edge of their stand, ready for you to pick off a few leaves to freshen up your breath after a wonderfully greasy taco topped with onion and cilantro.
Verdolaga (or purslane) is a prolific, succulent-like plant that adapts well to different climates and grows wild almost everywhere. In addition to fiber, verdolagas contain a high concentration of omega 3 fatty acids. Over the past few years, I’ve seen it offered more and more at farmers markets in the US. In Mexico, verdolagas are generally cooked and most popularly, served with pork, stewed with tomatillos and chiles. However, you can eat it raw and would make your desk salad a little less sad! Check out my recipe for pork with purslane and potatoes below.
Pork with Purslane
Ingredients
- 4 morita chiles substitute with chile meco or chipotles in adobo
- 1.5 lbs tomatillos about 12 large tomatillos, husks removed
- ½ onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 lbs pork stew meat such as butt or shoulder fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 tbs oil canola or olive
- 1 lb purslane rinsed and tough stems removed (may substitute with watercress)
- 1.5 lbs potatoes about 4 medium, cut into large chunks
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl or pan, cover the morita chiles with boiling water. Cover and let the chiles rehydrate for 15 minutes. Once the soaking water has cooled, open the chiles with a small paring knife and remove the seeds if you want to dial down the heat on this dish.
- While the moritas are rehydrating, roast the tomatillos and onion under a broiler at 500 F for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through. The tomatillos should be squishy and have a light char.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper, add it to the pot in batches so that the meat is in a single layer. Sear the meat, stirring occasionally, letting a nice brown fond form at the bottom of the pot.
- Return all the meat back to the pot and add enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Using a wooden spoon,loosen up the fond from the bottom of your pot, pulling that meaty flavor into the cooking liquid. Cover and let simmer.
- In a blender or food processor, add the charred tomatillo, onion and garlic along with the rehydrated morita chile as well as its cooking liquid – straining out any left behind seeds. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
- Add the sauce into the pot where the pork is simmering. Continue to simmer the pork in the sauce, covered on medium low for about 30 minutes.
- Add potatoes to the pot and season well with salt (start with 2 teaspoons of salt and continue to taste as the potatoes soak in seasoning) and pepper. Continue to simmer on medium low until the potatoes are tender.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the purslane and cover. After 5 minutes, remove from heat but keep the lid on as the purslane will continue to gently cook in the residual heat for another 5 minutes.
- Taste that saucy broth, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Serve with beans and tortillas.
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