Know Your Heritage Vegetables:
April 2008
SALSIFY (OYSTER PLANT ) Tragopogon
porrifolius
Only one variety, a biennial, was cultivated during the 19th century; black salsify, scorzonera, was not a member of the oyster plant genus despite surface similarities in structure.
Both the root and the leaves are delicacies. In early spring, the young tops, the leaves of which resemble leeks, were trimmed off, tied in bunches, and boiled until fork tender. Their taste resembles that of fiddleheads or asparagus. They were consumed with salt and melted butter. The quality of the greens improve during the second year of cultivation.
The long tapering root, somewhat thinner than a parsnip, required careful soil preparation, with over a foot of trenching and setting in well-manured topsoil. The plant is grown from seed. “The ground should be prepared in the fall, and left in ridges during the winter season. As soon as the weather becomes settled in the spring, the ground be neatly leveld off, and the seed sown in drills from twelve to eighteen inches apart, and covered to the depth of half an inch. When the young plants are about two or three inches in height they should be well thinned out, leaving them standing about six inches apart.” The rows should be 20 inches apart at a minimum. Harvest began in late October and continued through winter. Those plants left alone to seed will grow three feet in height and be harvested for seed when they turn brown. An ounce of seed will produce a bed of plants suitable to feed a family.
Salsify Oyster Fritters: “As the oyster is a very celebrated fish, and many in the interior rarely obtain it, all may cultivate this vegetable, which really makes a near approach to it in taste, when cooked in the following manner: Previous to boiling the roots let them be slightly scraped, and then laid in water for about an hour; then boil them till quite tnder. Let them be taken out and laid to drain for a short time, during which a thick batter should be made with the white of eggs beaten up with a little flour. Grate the roots down tolerably fine; press them into small flattened balls; dip these in the batter, and rol them into grated crackers on crumbs of bread; then fry them in a pan till they are of a depp brown color, when they are ready for the table, and will form a very agreeable and even delicious dish.”
“Stewed Salsify: Wash the roots and scrape their skins, throwing them as you do so into cold water, for exposure to the air causes them to immediately turn dark. Then cut transversel into little bits, throw into fresh water, add a little salt, and stew in a covered vessel until tender. Now pour off the water, add a small lump of butter, a little pepper, and a gill of sweet cream.”
“Fried Salsify: Stew the salsify as usual till very tender; then with the back of a spoon or small mallet mash it very fine. Beat up and egg, add a tea-cupful of milk, a little flour, butter, and seasoning of pepper nd salt. Make into little cakes, and fry a light brown in boiling lard.”
Salsify Soup”—Scrape the salsify nicely. Boil with white fowl until qite done. Mash through a colander, add a quart of new milk, a spoonful of butter, two or three egges, and pepper and salt to your staste.”
For Baking Salsify: Without scraping, boil until the skin comes off easily. Slice thin. Put into a china baking dish a layer of salsify, a layer of crumbs of bread, a little salt, pepper, and a covering ob butter as thin asyou can cut it. Repeat until full, with crumbs of bread for the top. Pour in t hen as much milk as the dish will hold, and bake brown. It may be done in half an hour.”
J. W. Russell, “On the Culture and Uses of Salsify,” Horticultural Register (March 1, 1836), p. 96.
“Salsify” The American Farmer 2, 4 (February 15, 1883), p. 54
“Culture of Salsify or Vegetable Oystser,” The Cultivator 11, 6 (June, 1863), p. 183.
“Useful Recipes,” Harper’s Bazaar 7, 15 (Nov. 14, 1874), p. 743.
“Usefull Recipes,” p. 743.
“Usefull Recipes,” p. 743.
Ibid.
Only one variety, a biennial, was cultivated during the 19th century; black salsify, scorzonera, was not a member of the oyster plant genus despite surface similarities in structure.
Both the root and the leaves are delicacies. In early spring, the young tops, the leaves of which resemble leeks, were trimmed off, tied in bunches, and boiled until fork tender. Their taste resembles that of fiddleheads or asparagus. They were consumed with salt and melted butter. The quality of the greens improve during the second year of cultivation.
The long tapering root, somewhat thinner than a parsnip, required careful soil preparation, with over a foot of trenching and setting in well-manured topsoil. The plant is grown from seed. “The ground should be prepared in the fall, and left in ridges during the winter season. As soon as the weather becomes settled in the spring, the ground be neatly leveld off, and the seed sown in drills from twelve to eighteen inches apart, and covered to the depth of half an inch. When the young plants are about two or three inches in height they should be well thinned out, leaving them standing about six inches apart.” The rows should be 20 inches apart at a minimum. Harvest began in late October and continued through winter. Those plants left alone to seed will grow three feet in height and be harvested for seed when they turn brown. An ounce of seed will produce a bed of plants suitable to feed a family.
Salsify Oyster Fritters: “As the oyster is a very celebrated fish, and many in the interior rarely obtain it, all may cultivate this vegetable, which really makes a near approach to it in taste, when cooked in the following manner: Previous to boiling the roots let them be slightly scraped, and then laid in water for about an hour; then boil them till quite tnder. Let them be taken out and laid to drain for a short time, during which a thick batter should be made with the white of eggs beaten up with a little flour. Grate the roots down tolerably fine; press them into small flattened balls; dip these in the batter, and rol them into grated crackers on crumbs of bread; then fry them in a pan till they are of a depp brown color, when they are ready for the table, and will form a very agreeable and even delicious dish.”
“Stewed Salsify: Wash the roots and scrape their skins, throwing them as you do so into cold water, for exposure to the air causes them to immediately turn dark. Then cut transversel into little bits, throw into fresh water, add a little salt, and stew in a covered vessel until tender. Now pour off the water, add a small lump of butter, a little pepper, and a gill of sweet cream.”
“Fried Salsify: Stew the salsify as usual till very tender; then with the back of a spoon or small mallet mash it very fine. Beat up and egg, add a tea-cupful of milk, a little flour, butter, and seasoning of pepper nd salt. Make into little cakes, and fry a light brown in boiling lard.”
Salsify Soup”—Scrape the salsify nicely. Boil with white fowl until qite done. Mash through a colander, add a quart of new milk, a spoonful of butter, two or three egges, and pepper and salt to your staste.”
For Baking Salsify: Without scraping, boil until the skin comes off easily. Slice thin. Put into a china baking dish a layer of salsify, a layer of crumbs of bread, a little salt, pepper, and a covering ob butter as thin asyou can cut it. Repeat until full, with crumbs of bread for the top. Pour in t hen as much milk as the dish will hold, and bake brown. It may be done in half an hour.”
J. W. Russell, “On the Culture and Uses of Salsify,” Horticultural Register (March 1, 1836), p. 96.
“Salsify” The American Farmer 2, 4 (February 15, 1883), p. 54
“Culture of Salsify or Vegetable Oystser,” The Cultivator 11, 6 (June, 1863), p. 183.
“Useful Recipes,” Harper’s Bazaar 7, 15 (Nov. 14, 1874), p. 743.
“Usefull Recipes,” p. 743.
“Usefull Recipes,” p. 743.
Ibid.
From the Archive
September 2007
Two Antebellum Recipes for the
simplest of all rice dishes:
“JOHNNY CAKE” [1836]
To three spoonfuls of soft boiled rice, add a small tea-cup of water or milk, then add six spoonfuls of the flour, which will make a large journey cake, or six waffles. The Baltimore Monument 11, 3 (October 22, 1836), 24.
“SOUTH CAROLINA JOHNNY OR JOURNEY CAKE” [1860]
Half a pint of boiled rice or hominy, two eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, a little salt, flour enough to make a stiff batter; spread on an oaken board, and bake before a hot fire; when nicely baked on one side, turn and bake the other; cut through the centre, and butter well. It pays for the trouble. This is the way our servants made it at my home in Charleston, South Carolina. Godey’s Lady’s Book 60 (March 1860), 271.
“JOHNNY CAKE” [1836]
To three spoonfuls of soft boiled rice, add a small tea-cup of water or milk, then add six spoonfuls of the flour, which will make a large journey cake, or six waffles. The Baltimore Monument 11, 3 (October 22, 1836), 24.
“SOUTH CAROLINA JOHNNY OR JOURNEY CAKE” [1860]
Half a pint of boiled rice or hominy, two eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, a little salt, flour enough to make a stiff batter; spread on an oaken board, and bake before a hot fire; when nicely baked on one side, turn and bake the other; cut through the centre, and butter well. It pays for the trouble. This is the way our servants made it at my home in Charleston, South Carolina. Godey’s Lady’s Book 60 (March 1860), 271.
Rice Pudding
April 2005
from Chef Mike Lata, FIG,
Charleston
Ingredients:
1 cup Carolina Gold Rice
7 cups of whole milk
1 vanilla bean (or extract to taste)
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
confectioner's sugar for the blanching process
Directions:
Bring a quart of water to a boil with a two tbsp. of confectioner's sugar. Blanch rice for about 5 min. Drain rice and rinse. Combine blanched rice with milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer. Cook until rice is very tender, then remove from heat and let sit to 5 min. Remove cinnamon stick. Whisk egg yolks into the milk and rice mixture. Pour off into a casserole dish, cover & refrigerate for at least 3 hrs. before serving. May also be served at room temperature.
Ingredients:
1 cup Carolina Gold Rice
7 cups of whole milk
1 vanilla bean (or extract to taste)
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
confectioner's sugar for the blanching process
Directions:
Bring a quart of water to a boil with a two tbsp. of confectioner's sugar. Blanch rice for about 5 min. Drain rice and rinse. Combine blanched rice with milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer. Cook until rice is very tender, then remove from heat and let sit to 5 min. Remove cinnamon stick. Whisk egg yolks into the milk and rice mixture. Pour off into a casserole dish, cover & refrigerate for at least 3 hrs. before serving. May also be served at room temperature.
Carolina Gold Rice Cakes Recipe
April 2005
by Chef Bill
Stacks
Ingredients:
1 cup Carolina Gold Rice
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp White pepper
4 slices, cooked & chopped Bacon
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 each Shallots, fine dice
½ Red Bell Peppers, small dice
1 each Green Onion, fine dice
2 each Eggs, beaten
½ cup Flour, All Purpose
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Directions:
Bring Stock to a boil. Add rice and stir. Bring down to a simmer. Cook until rice is creamy. Drain off excess Liquid and cool at room temperature.
Sauté shallots, garlic, Red Pepper, Green Onions with chopped bacon. Cool to room temperature. Add this mixture to cooled rice.
Add flour and eggs.
Form rice into cakes to desired size—makes four large rice cakes or up to 12 small “taste” rice cakes.
Coat with Panko Bread crumbs.
Sauté at a medium heat until rice cakes are a light brown.
Ingredients:
1 cup Carolina Gold Rice
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp White pepper
4 slices, cooked & chopped Bacon
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 each Shallots, fine dice
½ Red Bell Peppers, small dice
1 each Green Onion, fine dice
2 each Eggs, beaten
½ cup Flour, All Purpose
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Directions:
Bring Stock to a boil. Add rice and stir. Bring down to a simmer. Cook until rice is creamy. Drain off excess Liquid and cool at room temperature.
Sauté shallots, garlic, Red Pepper, Green Onions with chopped bacon. Cool to room temperature. Add this mixture to cooled rice.
Add flour and eggs.
Form rice into cakes to desired size—makes four large rice cakes or up to 12 small “taste” rice cakes.
Coat with Panko Bread crumbs.
Sauté at a medium heat until rice cakes are a light brown.