Borage is a plant from which we take advantage of both the stems or stalks and the leaves and which is at its best in the cold months, which is why you should harvest it from winter to early spring.
Furthermore, its cooking water is an excellent purifier, despite being known by the saying “run out” to refer to something unimportant or without substance, it is a broth that we can use, being perfect for making stews or vegetable broths or replacing water in recipes for paellas, rices and risottos.
Today we want to talk about borage and its properties, how we find it on the market or in the garden and, of course, explain how you can use it in the kitchen, with tips for cooking and cleaning. In addition, we will comment that this delicious product is fresh in season, although we can also find it cooked and canned throughout the year.
Borage, a winter plant
Borago officinalis is the scientific name of this plant annual crop, with a fleshy and hollow stem, whose height reaches from 60 to 150 cm. tall. It is native to Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, although today it is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean, being used in the cuisine of Aragon, Navarra and La Rioja, and to a lesser extent in the rest of our territory.
Silver has white, blue or purple edible flowers, depending on the variety. The hollow stems and leaves are the edible parts, although it is a little apprehensive to see them covered with thin spikes that force you to peel them before handling them, although for recipes in which the stems or leaves are cooked, it is not necessary to remove them, as they disappear with cooking.
Peeled and cleaned raw or after cooking, this vegetable is a light, tender and tasty vegetable that goes well with legumes, potatoes and other ingredients, being highly digestive due to its diuretic and anti-inflammatory qualities.
Nutritional characteristics of borage
Borage is a plant rich in vitamins A, B1, B2 C and D and also in minerals such as potassium, iron, magnesium and calcium. It has a high water and fiber content, so it is great for diets, as it contains only about 20 kilocalories per 100 g and, in addition to its peculiar and pleasant flavor, it has a very satiating effect.
borage recipe
- Ingredients: 300gr. of cooked borage, 1 medium zucchini, 1/2 green pepper, 100 gr. wild asparagus, 100 gr. of boiled peas, extra virgin olive oil, 100 gr. rocket, 100 gr. of Mascarpone cheese, 50 g of arugula, 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil.
- elaboration: To prepare the cream of vegetables, the first thing we must do is choose the vegetables with which we are going to make the cream. I like to make this dish with zucchini and green leafy vegetables, so you can use spinach, Swiss chard, kale, or any other veggies you have in your pantry if you can’t find borage. Chop the pepper and zucchini and fry in a skillet.
When they are blanched, add the peas, the cooked borage and a little of the cooking water. We pass through the blender and then through the fine sieve, until it is a very clear cream. We booked.To prepare the arugula oil, mix 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil with the arugula and 20 ml of the broth from cooking the vegetables and, after being crushed, set aside as well.
To assemble the dish, place the vegetable cream on the bottom, filling three quarters of the glass, cover with a little arugula oil and leave a mascarpone cheese ball in the center, which we will cover with a small arugula leaf to decorate.
When serving the recipe in the glass, care must be taken that the different textures are kept unmixed. If you prefer, you can use cheese from Burgos or any other fresh cheese instead of mascarpone cheese.
