Wild Spinach Cake (With Lambs Quarters)

Wild spinach cake with bacon, ramp sauce and wild flowers

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4.91 from 10 votes

A tender cake made from lambs quarters or other greens, finely chopped and mixed with flour, salt and spices.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lamb's Quarters

Servings: People

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Equipment

1 10 inch saute pan

Ingredients

10 oz fresh lambs quarters or other greens such as nettles You want mostly greens here. Any large stems should be discarded.
4 Tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
Knife tip of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin optional
4 Tablespoons cooking oil plus more as needed

Instructions

Cutting

Grasp The lambs quarters into a ball, then shred them fine. Rotate the mass of greens 180 degrees, then shred again to make tiny squares.
Transfer the greens to a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients well. The greens should look lightly coated with flour.

Cooking

In a 10 inch nonstick pan, such as cast iron, heat half of the oil. Spoon in the greens and let them cook for a minute or two on medium heat, or until the greens have started to wilt.
Using a wooden spoon, press the greens down the side of the pan, then gently press down on the top of the greens to compact them.
Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for a few minutes, turning down the heat to medium low. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes until the greens are wilted and move as one when the pan is shaken.

Flipping the cake

Using a spatula, peek underneath the cake of greens. When you can see it’s lightly browned, flip it using a spatula, using the pan, or by inverting the mass of greens on a cutting board and sliding back into the pan.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, press down on the sides of the cake in the pan, trying to keep it a nice circlular shape. Drizzle the remaining oil around the side of the pan to help the cake brown evenly.

Cooking until golden on each side

Cook the cake for 5 more minutes, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Continue cooking, gently flipping the cake as needed to double check that both sides are evenly browned, which will help the cake stick together after it's sliced.
If the pan looks dry, drizzle a little more oil around the sides of the cake.

Serving

When both sides of the cake are golden brown, slip it onto a plate using a spatula. Using a chef’s knife, cut the cake into ¼ s and serve. It’s great with fried eggs on top.

Video

Notes

This is fantastic with lambsquarters, but many different leafy greens can be used. Spinach, nettles, mallow, or a combination of different greens like chard will all work.

Nutrition