Lampascioni (edible hyacinth bulbs) are a traditional Southern Italian delicacy, specifically in Puglia and the Salentine peninsula where they’re gathered in the spring or winter before the plants produce their purple flowers. Today I’ll go over their traditional uses, and what I’ve learned about them over the past few years. A few years ago I…
Nuts, Seeds and Starches
Cooking with Green Walnuts
Ever wondered how to cook a green walnut, or what you can make with them? Or maybe you’re like me, and you see them plopping on the ground every year, but didn’t ever imagine they could be food. Green walnuts (young, unripe walnuts harvested before the shells have formed) are a traditional food in…
Walnut Wine or Vin de Noix
Vin de noix, also known as walnut wine, or green walnut wine, is arguably the most well-known use of green walnuts in France. It’s a cousin to the more well-known nocino, the Italian liquor made with green walnuts. If you’ve made nocino and liked it, and have wondered about the French version, I’m here to…
Georgian Walnut Spread / Phkali
The foods of the Caucuses are fascinating. One of the most interesting things I’ve found is Phkali–a recipe for sort of spread that might remind you of pesto made from nuts, herbs and spices. I think I found my first version of the recipe in Dara Goldstein’s book on Georgian food, and from there I…
Wild Rice Flour Cornbread
A few years ago I set out on a mission to make wild rice cornbread to serve 200 people for the Wild Harvest Festival. I tested out a batch using the last of my wild rice flour that I’d bought from the White Earth Reservation, and it came out good, but I needed to test…
How to Make Traditional Hickory Nut Milk (Kanuchi)
Hickory nut milk (hick milk for short) is the best nut milk I’ve ever tasted, and, unfortunately for non-foragers, I doubt it will ever be on a store shelf. It’s hard to put into words how fascinating it is, and, to be honest, to me, the name nut milk undersells the product, as well as…
Castagnaccio-Inspired Maple and Acorn Flour Torte
When I sat down to write the nut chapter on my book, I knew I had to do some fun things with acorns, and I really wanted to make a dessert to illustrate how acorn flour can be used as a substitute for chestnut flour Italians use to make things like castagnaccio, the chestnut flour…
Hollyhock Sarmasi, Mushroom Duxelles and Wild Grape
If you give me a big leaf, I can probably find something to roll up in it and call it a dolma, roulade vert, or, as with this version loosely inspired by Turkish rolls: sarmasi (Romanian sarmale is a synonym). I have a couple recipes for food rolled up in leaves on this site, but,…
