amaranth...what to do with it?

[gariotin]

My CSA box this week contained an unidentified leafy green veg - working on line, I think I have narrowed it down to amaranth.

Now....any ideas what to do with the stuff????

I'm thinking of treating it like any bitter green - blanch, then chop and saute w/onions and garlic. At this point in the CSA year, I am pretty tired of that - hoping one of you can inspire me!

[chiantiglace]

My CSA box this week contained an unidentified leafy green veg - working on line, I think I have narrowed it down to amaranth.

Now....any ideas what to do with the stuff????

I'm thinking of treating it like any bitter green - blanch, then chop and saute w/onions and garlic.  At this point in the CSA year, I am pretty tired of that - hoping one of you can inspire me!

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I have heard about it in soups and stir frys.

Why blanch it and wrap some shelfish in it. The lightly poach it in some kind of broth or sauce.

[Gabriel Lewis]

I get this from my asian grocer occasionally, and really like it when its good. The classic chinese way I know to prepare it is to stirfry it quickly in a hot wok with garlic until the leaves are just wilted; it'll stain your rice purple with the juices. No need to blanch, not very exciting I know but if you do it chinese style it'll come out differently than sauteed. It's also good with sichuan peppercorns and dried red chiles. I often find the lower stems tough and discard them. There's also an interesting recipe of Fuschia Dunlop's where you boil them in a scant amount of seasoned chicken stock with preserved eggs from hunan province that I can described in more detail for you if you'd like.

[heidih]

I use it like any green in lots of preps, just taking care that the beet-like color bleed will not make things look too murky. Elizabeth Schneider in her beautifully illustrated vegetable "encyclopedia" - "Vegetables- from Amaranth to Zucchini" has a number of preps. The two that stand out are a Greek horta where the green is sort of stewed with a little liquid and olive oil and then a fresh goat or sheep cheese is mixed in, and the other a stew of the vegetable with hominy and chili powders. If you do not have the book, see if your library does as it will serve you well with your CSA bounty in general.

[gariotin]

Thanks so much - I am taking it on vacation with me today, so will play around with one of these ideas! I rent a house on Cape Cod that doesn't have the best-equipped kitchen, so always bring my own knives and pots & pans.