I usually try to make original recipes, but occasionally I come across something I haven’t thought of and want to try. Once I tried this recipe for fetuccine made with the leaves and buds of milkweed I decided to bring it to Angie’s Fiesta Friday #23 and share it with any of my readers who have milkweed. And if you don’t have milkweed, broccoli leaves and flowers could be used in their stead.
The Forager Chef creates some of the best and most innovative recipes using foraged ingredients I have found. The recipe in its original is here – and you might like to look through his blog to see some of his creations, especially those using a great selection of wild mushrooms.
Two things made me want to try this recipe. First, I have such an abundance of milkweed now as we have tried to encourage its growth for the sake of the monarchs, none of which has shown up yet.
The other incentive was that I really like home-made pasta, especially when it is a recipe which is unusual enough that it is only available if you make it yourself.
I made only minor changes in the recipe. I used lime instead of lemon, and cheddar cheese instead of parmesan. The milkweed has a delicate floral flavour, and the lime zest is a perfect pairing for it. The pasta was easy to work with, but having added just a tad too much water I dusted it liberally with semolina when rolling it and once it was cut.
I blanched the leaves and flowers together along with a few plantain flowers I was using for something else, and used the stock from cooking these in the pasta and for the pasta sauce.
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July 4, 2014 at 1:42 pm
What a creative recipe!!
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July 4, 2014 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Lori. I can’t take any credit for it, but am keen to share it.
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July 4, 2014 at 2:37 pm
OMG this just looks soooo good. And thank you for the link to the forager chef. Can’t wait to see what he’s up to.
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July 18, 2014 at 1:12 am
I hope you checked him out. He does some really neat things I think you’d be interested in.
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July 4, 2014 at 3:10 pm
This really does look amazing, and I love that you forage for ingredients too, even if only in your own garden. I am going to keep an eye out for some milkweed now!
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July 4, 2014 at 4:04 pm
I alwayas know there is going to be something interesting when i look at your recipes you are so inventive x
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July 18, 2014 at 1:13 am
Thanks Justine.
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July 19, 2014 at 5:48 pm
🙂
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July 4, 2014 at 9:55 pm
This is so unusual, to me anyway. I’ve heard you can use these tiny buds instead of capers. I can’t wait for spring and milkweed to give it a try. Thanks for bringing it to fiesta Friday.
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July 18, 2014 at 1:14 am
Thanks for the comment. I did make capers just by fermenting them in brine and they turned out beautifully. So easy, but failed to get pictures of the process so I didn’t post them. Maybe I’ll make more yet this year as there are some baby plants still growing in my gardens.
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July 5, 2014 at 1:30 am
Another great and creative recipe Hilda! I’ve never heard about milkweed buds before, thanks for bringing this recipe over to FF!
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July 5, 2014 at 5:22 am
You continue to amaze me with your original recipes Hilda! How wonderful that you can forage for all of these beautiful ingredients! I feel hopelessly citified when I read your posts, but you keep teaching me so much! Thanks for all of that! 😀
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July 5, 2014 at 11:02 am
milkweed? your post reads real cool! happy FF!
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July 5, 2014 at 5:11 pm
Hi Hilda, wow, you always surprise me with your unusual ingredients from the nature, I think last time it was something with dandelion? Anyways, first time I hear about milkweed, but it sounds really delicious the way you describe it. Beautiful pasta dish you created! Thanks so much for brining this to this week’s Fiesta! Hope you had a great time partying there! hugs, Sylvia
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July 6, 2014 at 12:14 pm
I love your foraged, delicious looking dishes! I will need to learn more and get out there! I love the look of your pasta! How is the greenhouse coming along?
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July 18, 2014 at 1:16 am
Pardon the delay. All the comments on this page ended up in my spam so just found them. I love my greenhouse, although it was a bit late to make the best use of it. I am keeping delicates, like melon, inside overnight and on cold or stormy days and plan to have lettuces etc. until November, (we shall see) which would be a real treat in this area.
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July 7, 2014 at 11:32 am
I wish I had milkweed in my property. Maybe I need to stop by the side of the road and collect seeds? I do grow butterfly weed “Cinderella” that was hosting a monarch chrysalis once. Looks a lot like milkweed but with narrow leaves. Probably edible, but I’d rather have milkweed. Looks so delicious.
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July 11, 2014 at 11:48 am
Again those beautiful milkweed buds – I’m sure they are great with pasta.
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July 14, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Hilda, you are so creative! You’ve got many intriguing recipes!
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July 14, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Thanks. Glad you think so.
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