A more readily available substitute for chickweed

[ChrisTaylor]

A dish in the Mugaritz cookbook caught my eye: a salad of 'tender leaves' and duck tongues. The recipe is, by Mugraritz (and perhaps normal) standards, simple: the tongues are cooked sous vide before the tough cartilage is removed. I've made this component of the dish before. The dressing is easy, too: a reduced duck/chickpea stock blended with some diced leek and apple cider vin.

 

The sticking point, for me, is chickweed. I've looked at countless photos of chickweed. I've been out in my backyard and found a weed that looks very similar to the photos. So, carefully, I took a nibble of a single leaf. Based on the flavour description of chickweed I've read online, this stuff isn't it. So forget foraging in my backyard.

 

I understand and accept that any substitution will result in a different flavour profile/texture to what the chickweed must provided Mugaritz's original dish. I accept my solution to a lack of chickweed will be worse. That's okay. Ideas that have occurred to me include cos hearts (the leaves separated), young wasabi greens and baby rocket/arugula. I'm open to suggestions.

[Deryn]

Spinach?

[Smithy]

It's a long time since I've eaten chickweed, but as I recall it has a delicate flavor and texture. Can you get mache?

[djyee100]

Mache would be my first choice also. Purslane might be interesting to try, if you can get it. Like chickweed, it is another trendy Virtuous Weed. It is succulent like chickweed, but the flavor is more assertive. Failing to find either of these, try butter lettuce.

[Maedl]

The Latin name for chickweed is Stellaria media--perhaps that might help you in eventually locating it. It is also called chickenwort, craches, winterweed or maruns--maybe it is called something different in your region.

[ChrisTaylor]

I'm aware of the scientific name and, so far as I know, it's called chickweed here. It's not something the local fruit and vegetable purveyors carry. I know of a couple of places that carry that sort of thing--the kind of place that'd maybe have chickweed and mache in stock--but I don't have enough time over the next ... day to dick around in traffic and markets. On impulse I purchased snow pea sprouts. eGulleteer Keith_W introduced me to this product a long time ago, albeit in cooked form. I'm sorely tempted to throw some raw (podded) sugar snap peas in there too, fresh from the garden. Mild, 'green' flavours. 

 

I tried some fresh wasabi. The flavour is too distinctive, the spice too overpowering for this. Sugar snap peas, tho'? And sprouts? I think they'll work.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Hi, Chris.

 

Although I associate pea sprouts with Asian cuisine mostly, they're one of my favorite vegetables. I can't see one single reason why they wouldn't work smashingly in your dish!

 

Sugar snap peas fresh from your garden seem complementary, but I'd probably cook them as a side dish. They're quite sweet and crispy when cooked the way I prefer, and I'd worry they might intrude on and overshadow what sounds like an exquisite salad.

 

Also, pray tell, how did you come by enough duck tongues? Seems like a very exotic ingredient like ortolans to me, and my limited experience from the U.S.

 

I grew up with ducks we raised, and their eggs. They were really fun on Easter egg hunts for us kids. I'm sadly certain the tongues all went to waste. So I'd be very interested in any information you have on them as a culinary ingredient.

[ChrisTaylor]

I live in a multicultural area. To varying degrees all local butchers sell all component parts of animals, not just the fillets and common roasting joints. Duck tongues seem expensive--$45AUD for one kilogram--but it's not like I buy many. Sixteen tongues worked out to cost a couple of dollars. I see that Modernist Cuisine has a recipe for crispy duck tongues as a small component of a large dish. I didn't get around to trying this method prior to Christmas. I've only tried the Mugaritz method: bagged with a little olive oil, a little salt and bathed for 12 hours at 66C. Before searing them for service you remove the hard piece of cartilage. At least when the tongues are slightly warm, removing this piece of cartilage is painless.