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Poke

Mottmott

By Mottmott
in Cooking

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Mottmott

Mottmott

Posted
Posted

Has anyone had any experience with this?

I found this beautiful vegetable at the farmer's market. Alas I don't have a digital camera, but it is quite distinctive. The 8" stems are a wonderful soft pink and are toped with delicate celery yellow-green leaves. At the stand they suggested that it was similar in taste to asparagus (which it is) and that it should be sauteed with garlic. This time I did, then flavoring it with lemon zest and juice, adding a little cream at the end. But I think that if I find it again, I will steam it and then use it in a salad in a way that highlights its color or as a garnish to something relatively delicate, like fish.

I tried to google poke, but only found recipes from Hawaiian and cakes with pokes in them.

"Half of cooking is thinking about cooking." ---Michael Roberts

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mizducky

mizducky

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hmmmmm ... it wouldn't have happened to be this wild green, would it? In which case, you might want to talk to the vendor about the toxicity problem noted in the article.

(I recalled the song "Poke Salad Annie" mentioned in the article--I believe it was covered by Elvis Presley--and so was able to Google it that way. :smile: )

Edited by mizducky (log)

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Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted
Has anyone had any experience with this?

Here is an old thread about pokeweed. There have been others, but I can't find them...

Poke can be poisonous, but I'm not sure just how poisonous it really is. A farmer at my local market sells it sometimes: he raises it in his basement, so it isn't exposed to light. The baby poke is pale, whitish green with a purple base. The advice to serve it like asparagus is about right-- I've steamed it and let it chill in the fridge with some vinaigrette. It's not bad, and has the added thrill of vegetable fugu.

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Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted (edited)

Try googling, and searching for "Poke Salet" (with a T, or 'salat'). And 'pokeweed' and 'Poke Salet Annie." Supposedly the spelling comes from the German word for 'salad'; the Germans being the first folks to use pokeweed routinely in the New World. (Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea if that is correct. That's just what I've always been told is the origin of the spelling.)

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Luckylies

Luckylies

Posted
Posted

heh, great, I'm glad my sister and I covered eachother with the toxic dye from the berries as children. Mom yelled that we would die, but she always said that.

does this come in pork?

My name's Emma Feigenbaum.

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Mottmott

Mottmott

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Has anyone had any experience with this?

Here is an old thread about pokeweed. There have been others, but I can't find them...

Poke can be poisonous, but I'm not sure just how poisonous it really is. A farmer at my local market sells it sometimes: he raises it in his basement, so it isn't exposed to light. The baby poke is pale, whitish green with a purple base. The advice to serve it like asparagus is about right-- I've steamed it and let it chill in the fridge with some vinaigrette. It's not bad, and has the added thrill of vegetable fugu.

Andrew, as I found mine at the Reading Terminal Market, too, I'm sure we're talking about the same thing. And the vendor did mention something about growing it in the basement in a special way to eliminate the toxicity. so it probably is an immature version of pokeweed mentioned by others.

"Half of cooking is thinking about cooking." ---Michael Roberts

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mrbigjas

mrbigjas

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mottmott, i've bought the same stuff. the first time i got all nervous about dying and simmered it twice, and was fine. then i read andrew's post, so the second time i quickly blanched and then sauteed it. then the time after that i blanched it and served at room temp with hollandaise.

it's tasty enough, but i buy it more to just buy fun things at livengood's than anything else. it's not like the pawpaws they have in the summer, which are awesome and that i crave sometimes.

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Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I'm sure we had another thread about this before; I searched for it and couldn't find it. Anyway, I agree that it's not the greatest flavor sensation in the world, but it's not bad, and it's fun to say "poke".

Could it be that Livengood's is the only outfit in America that sells poke? Seems unlikely, but it seems like everybody else gets it au naturel...

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Ben Hong

Ben Hong

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(I recalled the song "Poke Salad Annie" mentioned in the article--I believe it was covered by Elvis Presley--

Tony Joe White wrote it and did the popular version:

"Poke Salad Annie,

Gator's got your Granny

Ev'rybody said it was a shame,

'cause her momma was workin' on a chain gang".

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