Yucca blossom salad with goat cheese dressing
6 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | tablespoon | Olive oil |
| 18 | Cuitlachoche (corn caviar) kernels or other edible mushroom | |
| 2 | ounces | Soft white goat cheese (appx |
| 1/4 cup) | ||
| ¼ | cup | Olive oil |
| ½ | teaspoon | White pepper |
| 30 | Yucca blossoms | |
| 6 | cups | Mache, stemmed, or boston lettuce |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 2 | tablespoons | Herb flavored vinegar |
| 1 | teaspoon | Chopped fresh thyme leaves |
Directions
YUCCA BLOSSOM SALAD
GOAT CHEESE DRESSING
In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and saute the cuitlacoche 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until tender. Set aside.
Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Blanch the yucca blossoms 20 to 30 seconds. Remove and immediately rinse the blossoms in ice water.
Drain the flowers and remove the hearts. Set aside.
For the dressing, blend together the ingredients, except the vinegar.
Then, slowly mix in the vinegar drop by drop to avoid curdling, until all the vinegar has been incorporated.
Toss the salad together with the dressing and sprinkle the fresh thyme on top. **********
At thenend of the growing season, when the corn has matured, some of the ears that have been left on the plant develop a type of edible fungus the Indians call cuitlacoche. Inside each corn kernel is a moist, black paste that resembles caviar. It can be dried or canned and used throughout the year. Although it is not currently enjoyed by much of the younger generation of Native peoples, the elders consider cuitlacoche to be a delicacy.
From "Native American Cooking," by Lois Ellen Frank Submitted By HILDE MOTT On 11-19-94