• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Forager Chef

Foraging and Cooking Mushrooms, Wild and Obscure Food

  • Home
  • About
  • Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Species Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Red Cinnabar
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
        • Fairy Rings
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Elderberry
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • The Wild Harvest
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Burdock Relish

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

burdock salsify relish

The first time I saw burdock I was amazed. The entire roots were intact, most of them at least four feet long. I didn’t really develop an appreciation for them until I dug one myself though. Not only is the taproot difficult to unearth,  it’s also supported by little ancillary roots that come off of the side, so getting them to come out is no small feat. If you don’t want to go dig up a burdock, you can easily use gobo, which is available in Asian grocery stores. Salsify and scorzanera work great like this too, but you will probably have to grow them yourself or know an intrepid farmer.

This recipe is probably the one that I am most pleased with as far as burdock goes. It has danced around on the menu becoming every thing from a relish on fish, to a garnish for charcuterie, to a soup topping. A couple weeks ago, a lady in China sent me a recipe for pork rib/burdock soup which I’ll have to make. The relish is great all by itself though, and is a way to showcase these funky roots. In addition, since the wine preserves it, it keeps for a long time in the fridge, almost like a pickle.

If you like artichokes, you are going to love this recipe. Essentially this is a modified version of vegetables “a la Greque”, meaning cooked in the Greek style. Vegetables are cooked in wine, and oil, the acidity of the wine functions as a preservative by lowering the p.h., as well as adding a little acidic flavor, making it a perfect compliment to fish or chicken. You can do all kinds of stuff with this relish, the cooking method is just a way to preserve it for future use.

  • Hot or cold, the relish can be used as a garnish for fish, chicken or pork
  • Warm the relish and toss with some greens for a quick salad
  • Instead of dicing the relish, mince it and mix into mayonnaise for a special dressing or dip
  • You could easily reduce the relish with some meat or vegetable stock, whisk in a tbsp or two of butter, and create a sauce
  • The relish is a great accompaniment to a plate of cured meat and cheese
  • Warm the relish with some tomatoes and toss with a pasta shape like penne, rigatoni, or farfalle

burdock salsify relish

Foraged burdock relish
Print Recipe
0 from 0 votes

Burdock Relish

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Burdock, Gobo
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 8 oz burdock/gobo root peeled and diced 1/4 inch
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 fresh bay leaf you can substitute dried
  • 1 by 1 inch slice of lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp shallot diced 1/4 inch
  • 1 tbsp flavorful oil like extra virgin olive oil or sunflower
  • 1 Tsp garlic de-germed and minced
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp fresh sliced fresh herbs like chives, parsley, tarragon or chervil, or a combination

Instructions

  • Season the diced shallot and minced garlic with the sugar, a dash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and allow this to macerate while you cook the burdock to remove the raw, hot flavor.
  • Peel the burdock, then dip in water seasoned with lemon juice to prevent oxidization.
  • It should have the texture similar to an artichoke--soft and yielding, yet still al dente. If there is still some liquid left in the pan when the burdock is soft, that's ok, just add it to the relish when it's complete.
  • When the roots are scrubbed of their skin, dice them into 1/4 inch squares, then place them in a pan with  the water, wine, salt, bay leaf and lemon. Bring this mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the burdock is tender and soft, but not mushy.
  • Cool the burdock, remove the bay leaf and lemon zest, and then combine with the macerated shallot, garlic, oil, and lemon. Add another dash of lemon juice to taste if you like.
  • Allow the relish to marry, covered in a container in the fridge for a day or two, it will get better as time goes on.
  • Before serving add the chives or other herbs

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Related

Previous Post: « Basic Steak and Morel Sauce
Next Post: Jean Louis Palladin’s Black Truffle Ice Cream »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kris

    March 21, 2014 at 8:50 am

    Foraged wild burdock actually has shorter, stubbier roots… it’s the lovely Asian varieties of “gobo” burdock which are long and lovely like that. And, salsify is not the same plant — not at all. This article confuses me, making me feel very cautious about the botanical credentials of the author. Nonetheless, the recipe is interesting. I’d use Gobo from the farmer’s market probably.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      March 21, 2014 at 5:43 pm

      Hi Kris! You’re correct that gobo has a long root, and burdock a shorter one. You’re correct as well in pointing out as well that salsify is not the same plant, or in the same family. However, I cook with all of these roots, as well as scorzanera, (my personal favorite since it is the most tender) For culinary purposes, all of these roots should be cooked the same way: each root must be scrubbed or peeled and then placed in acidulated water to prevent discoloring, they also must be cooked for extended periods of time to make them tender, if desired. To insinuate that these roots cannot be cooked similarly is like saying you couldn’t convert a recipe for cauliflower to broccoli, or a recipe for blueberries to aronia berries.

      As far as my credentials regarding wild food, I was, and still am a member of the wild mushroom advisory committee, which advises the State of Minnesota Department of Health, and Department of Agriculture on foraging law language. Here is a link. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/food/code/2009revision/mushroom/

      I can understand how this could have seemed confusing though, so I added some clarification to the root descriptions. without your comment this post probably would have stayed a bit vague! Happy hunting.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Forage Burdock : Practical & Medicinal Uses + Free Recipe says:
    December 13, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    […] Burdock Relish […]

    Reply
  2. Foraging Burdock for Food and Medicine says:
    June 28, 2019 at 5:45 am

    […] Burdock Root Relish […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Categories

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Instagram

foragerchef

Tres Leches soaked in candy cap milk was a fun var Tres Leches soaked in candy cap milk was a fun variation I did on the house dessert of a little restaurant I was at for a time. 

Don’t be surprised if you smell like maple syrup a few hours after eating it. Using ground dried golden chanterelles is another variation that’s on my list to try. 

Link in bio to see how to make your own. 

#candycaps #treslechescake #myteethfellout #wildmushrooms #wildfoodlove
ARISE #fungimancer #frostbite #morels #tisthes ARISE 

 #fungimancer 
#frostbite #morels #tistheseason #mushroomhunting #winter #offseasontraining
Big thanks🙏 to all of you who showed your suppo Big thanks🙏 to all of you who showed your support with the first line of spirits @ida_graves_distillery and I collaborated on. 

Brock did a great job wrangling the wild things, and we have plenty of fun ideas in store (think aging nocino in barrels, new flavor combos, etc). If you’re in the Twin Cities and still need some, the amaro is #soldout but @ombibulousmn has nocino, and should have the spruce  liquor (goes down like pine gin) soon. Thank you!

#distillery #foragedcocktails #nocino #craftspirits #drinkatree #mnspirits #smallbatch #godscountry
Let’s talk roadkill. Honestly, roadkill is too s Let’s talk roadkill. Honestly, roadkill is too specific a term for me—I don’t limit myself to vehicular-harvested meat. 

However you feel about the topic, grab some popcorn and head over to the comment section on my blog (link in bio) for the 🔥personal stories from readers have shared from around the world. 

There’s the kid who brought home a nutria after school, a wife getting 4 deer with the same car, a train hitting a herd of elk, a bear named squish, living in a house with weasels, and more. 

#budgetgourmet #gleaning #scavenging #meatismeat #roadkill #freefoods #finderskeepers #wastenotwantnot
Sam Thayer dropped 25 lbs of his highbush cranberr Sam Thayer dropped 25 lbs of his highbush cranberry cultivars (3 types!) on me before the last snowfall and I honestly don’t even know where to start after processing them. I’d already made jams and hot sauce already and I have enough for a year. 😅

Great time to practice the cold-juice which ensures the juice isn’t bitter. 

Anyone else have any ideas? 

You can still find some on the shrubs if the birds didn’t get them up by the north shore. 

#highbushcranberry #winterforaging #birdberries #sweetnectar #foragerproblems #juiceme #embarassmentofriches #wildfoodlove
100% wild candy bars. I don’t usually make raw v 100% wild candy bars. I don’t usually make raw vegan snacks, but when I read about Euell Gibbon’s wild hackberry candy bars I had to try them. The  originals were just crushed hackberries and hickory nuts, but, I’ve read that Euell grew to dislike the crunch of hackberry seeds later in life. 

Here’s the thing though, if you sift the hackberry flour, you get a fun texture, with no worries about cracking a tooth. 

These are equal parts ground hackberries, dried wild blueberries, and hickory nuts, with a splash of maple syrup to bind.

The end product is a shelf stable, nutrient-packed bite filled with protein, carbohydrates, fats and natural sugars infinitely adaptable to your local landscape.

The texture is chewy and nougat-like, and now I’m curious to see how they’d perform baked in recipes that use frangipane or almond paste. 

#euellgibbons #energybars #hackberry #crushin #paleobreakfast #tradionalfood #wildfoodlove #rawfoods
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.