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    Home » Leafy Greens

    Verdolagas Guisadas (Braised Purslane)

    Published: Jun 27, 2019 Modified: Feb 19, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe

    A simple dish of purslane cooked with tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic is a traditional purslane recipe passed onto me by a worker from Ecuador.

    Braised Purslane with Tomato and Duck Fat

    I love verdolagas / purslane, but until a while ago I hadn't really thought about cooking it. I knew it was done in some places, but there were a few reasons I didn't ever entertain cooking it:

    1. I was harvesting purslane for a restaurant where I was the chef, and since I was picking it myself, I wanted to make sure it went as far as possible. Cooking the purslane down meant I would have to pick a lot.
    2. It's use as a beautiful substitute for microgreens (I refuse to use them) can make a dish pop with green color, and again, stretches how far it can go.

    If you know purslane, you might be familiar with one of it's other commonly used names: verdolagas, which, as you might expect, is a Spanish word, and it’s used in both South American and European Spanish cooking, among others. The recipe here is a South American version passed onto me from one of my favorite dishwashers from Ecuador named Carmelita. 

    Purslane and watercress
    Cutting the purslane into 1 inch pieces makes prevents having long, stringy bites.

    It's a simple recipe. Take some fresh greens, along with a good dollop of lard or duckfat as I use here, sweat them with some onion, tomato and jalapeno until everything is tender and delicious, and that's about it. 

    Purslane and watercress
    Cutting the purslane 50/50 with watercress helps to tame the sour bite.

    I made it a few times, and liked it, serving it to a few people here and there. One person remarked that the greens had a sharp flavor, and they do, a bit. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy it, but I think I've become a little used to the taste. Feedback is important for dialing a dish in.

    To lighten the intensity of the purslane's tartness, I ended up cutting the weight in half with watercress, since it's neutral tasting cooked, but another mild green would be easy to substitute like spinach, lettuce, amaranth or dinosaur kale would work just fine. Or, just cut down the purslane to 25% of your blend.

    Braised Purslane with Tomato and Duck Fat

    Braised Purslane with Tomato and Duck Fat
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Braised Purslane with Tomatoes and Duck Fat 

    Tangy braised purslane and watercress. I served this alongside a saddle of lamb, but it would be just as good with chicken, pork or fish.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time25 minutes mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: South American
    Keyword: Purslane
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 146kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 4 quart blanching pot
    • 1 10 inch saute pan

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces watercress
    • 8 ounces purslane
    • 2  large roma tomatoes
    • ¼ cup duck fat poultry fat, or another lard or flavorful oil
    • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
    • A few slices of jalapeño or Serrano chili to taste (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon 1 small clove garlic, minced
    • ¼ yellow onion diced ¼ inch

    Instructions

    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the cores from the tomatoes, then slash the other end with an X. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for a minute or two, then remove to an ice bath and chill. Remove the skin from the tomatoes, cut the in half and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the tomatoes into ½ inch dice and reserve.
    • In a large skillet about 10-12 inches, heat the duck fat, garlic, jalapeño and onion until the onions are translucent. Add the watercress, purslane, and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are well wilted. Season the greens with salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately.

    Notes

    Instead of mixing the purslane with watercress, you can use many different greens here depending on what you have. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 659mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 7638IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 2mg

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Frank Wesbrock

      July 25, 2019 at 2:20 pm

      I came upon your site and was amazed. Being an amateur forager my self, I felt I'd found a kindred spirit. Look forward to more of your visions.I am fan fan of cooking on ember's.my juices are flowing. Thank you

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 26, 2019 at 10:29 am

        Thanks Frank, yes, I love old recipes like that. Happy hunting.

        Reply
    2. Keith

      July 07, 2019 at 8:06 pm

      Love purslane and find a bunch- but always in urban areas, usually between sidewalks, were dogs could go to the bathroom on it. I find very little around the woods and parks I forage. Where do you find it where it's safe to eat?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 10, 2019 at 5:06 pm

        I harvest from large gardens on the farm. It loves disturbed garden soil.

        Reply
    3. Rebecca

      June 28, 2019 at 8:39 am

      There are no onions in the ingredient list. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 28, 2019 at 9:13 am

        Geez. I am on a roll with this one. Been super busy lately.

        Reply
    4. Bonnie C.

      June 27, 2019 at 1:03 pm

      Very interesting recipe that I'd love to try, but how many Roma tomatoes? The quantity was left off the recipe.

      Many thanks.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 27, 2019 at 1:30 pm

        Hey Thanks. It’s 2 tomatoes.

        Reply
    5. Jacqui

      June 27, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      I made a Portuguese soup based on potatoes, lots of purslane and a bit of lemon and yoghurt. I think there are as many recipes/varieties of purslane soup as there are Portuguese.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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