Poke Salad
If you have worked the "Who is singing for their supper?" quiz, in my Game Show room, then you have seen poke salad before. I have never actually made poke salad myself but thought it might be interesting to try. Well, I changed my mind after reading all of the labor intensive steps involved in cleaning it and picking it and sorting it. I had no idea that poke salad was such a formidable ingredient. I have put the recipe below in the hope that one of my readers will make it and leave me a message about how delicious it was in my Guest Book. Was it SO delicious that all of that sorting and picking and washing was worth it? Inquiring minds want to know.........
You will need:
1 to 2 pounds of Poke Salad
6 to 8 slices bacon
1 lg. onion
2 eggs
Pick and wash poke salad, bring to a rapid boil for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Bring to a rapid boil, starting with cold water, for a second boil for 20 minutes. Again drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Now for the third time, starting over cold tepid water bring to a rapid boil for 20 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let drain completely.
Meantime fry bacon and save drippings; set aside. Clean and cut onion in quarters. Take drained poke salad. Cook in fry pan that you fried your bacon. Add 1/4 cup of drippings and shortening from bacon. Add onion, 1/4 cup of water, salt to taste. Let steam fry until onions are sauteed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and garnish with hard boiled egg and bacon.
What is pokeweed?
Pokeweed is a strongly smelling herbaceous perennial growing from four to eight feet in height. The root and berries are poisonous, but the first shoots that grow in the spring are considered to be a great delicacy. They are green to reddish purple in color and may be prepared like asparagus.
When preparing poke weed for consumption the first time, allow an experienced person to teach you what parts are safe to use and how to prepare it. If the wrong parts are eaten and pokeweed is not prepared properly, it can be Poisonous to consume! It is important to use only the thick, succulent new growth (3 to 4 inches at the growing tips). The rest of the plant contains so much Vitamin A that it may be poisonous unless it is boiled in water 3 times (the water must be discarded 3 times to leech out the excess Vitamin A.
AND... just in case you have NOT worked my "Who Is Singing For Their Supper" quiz in my Game Show room, then click on the menu below for some yummy fun!
For some added fun:
Click on the photo of the Poke Salad to hear the song that made it famous
