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    Home » Leafy Greens

    Amaranth Recipes

    About

    Amaranth is a widespread genus of leafy green plants eaten by many people around the world.

    Favorites

    | Jamaican Callaloo with Amaranth Greens | Traditional Saag Paneer with Amaranth | Wilted Greens with Garlic and Chili (En Padella)

    wild amaranth in a garden

    Amaranthus retroflexus is the most common variety. It's common in gardens and on the edges of fields.

    In North America the plant is known as pigweed and is considered a weedy plant, but the greens are sometimes sold at farmers markets. Amaranthus retroflexus is the most common one I harvest, but there are many varieties used around the world.

    Edible Parts

    The leaves, stems and seeds can be used an cooking.

    peeling the tender stalks of amaranth

    Peel thick stems to make sure they're tender.

    Leaves

    The leaves and tender stems of the plant can be used in just about any recipe that calls for cooked leafy greens. The young growing tips of varieties like burgundy amaranth can be very good added raw to salads.

    If the stems are large enough you can peel them and they'll be more tender.

    Seeds

    The seeds can be ground into a flour. Amaranth flour is very different from other flours and should not be substituted in equal parts for wheat flour. It has a strong, grassy flavor.

    To bake with amaranth flour, I suggest substituting it for no more than 20% of the flour in baking recipes. 

    a bowl of amaranth flour next to a loaf of bread.

    The flour has a strong, grassy flavor.

     

     

    • Fave e Cicoria (Fava Bean Purée with Wild Chicory)
    • Wild Spinach Cake
    • Preboggion: The Wild Edible Plants of Liguria
    • Erbazzone (Italian Wild Greens Pie)
    • Jamaican Callaloo with Amaranth Greens
    • South African Creamed Spinach: Steakhouse Style
    • Moroccan Foraged Greens with Preserved Lemon: Bakoula
    • Foraged Greens with Garlic and Paprika (Tsigarelli)
    • Richard Olney's Stinging Nettle Frittata Recipe
    • Sochan with Potatoes and Venison Bacon (Bottom Greens)
    • Foraged Greens with Walnut Sauce
    • Turkish Nettles With Cheese (Isirgan Buğulaması)
    • Lebanese Dandelions with Caramelized Onions (Hindbeh)
    • Spinaci alla Romana (Roman Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts)
    • Minestrella: Italian Stew of Many Greens
    • Easy Steamed Greens
    • Wild Herb Brioche
    • Sochan with Bacon and Tepary Beans
    • Amaranth Spinach, Garlic and Summer Mushrooms

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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