Quelites Mexicanos
Alan Bergo
Chef Alan Bergo enjoys drawing inspiration for his foraged cuisine from other countries, including Mexico and South America, which have robust plant foraging traditions. Though quelites are traditionally made with wild plants able to withstand hot climates around the equator, The Forager Chef reminds us that quelites can be made from visitors (weeds) found in Minnesota gardens, too. This recipe features Mexican-style wild greens stewed with onion, tomato, jalapeno and spices to create some of the most memorable tacos you'll ever taste.
- Quelites
- 8 ounces mixed quelites wild greens and herbs, especially purslane, lambsquarters and amaranth
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil or pork lard
- 1 large garlic clove thinly sliced
- 1 small 3-ounce yellow onion or shallot
- 1 jalapeno seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 12- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes or 1 large fresh tomato
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin or to taste
- For serving: grated queso quesadilla cheese or your favorite melting cheese corn tortillas, as needed
Blanch the greens: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the greens until nearly tender, about 30-60 seconds. Remove greens, refresh in cold water, squeeze dry and reserve.
Prepare the tomatoes: If using canned tomatoes, squeeze tomatoes and discard the seeds. Dice or chop ½ cup of the tomatoes, reserving the rest, along with the juice, for another purpose. If using a fresh tomato, core it, score the bottom with an X and blanch in boiling water until the skin peels. Remove from water to cool, discard skin, squeeze the seeds out and dice into ½-inch cubes.
Cook the greens: In a 10-inch sauté pan or large skillet, heat the oil and sliced garlic until aromatic and starting to turn golden. Add the sliced onion and jalapeno and cook until softened. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for one more minute. Add the cooked greens to the pan and thoroughly combine. Season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Continue cooking the greens mixture until the pan is nearly dry and the greens are tender and taste good to you.
Serving: Meanwhile, heat tortillas on a comal placed over a fire or on a griddle. Serve greens alongside tortillas and allow guests to build their own tacos.