Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves

Although Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is not exactly a ?wild food? it does come to the foragers attention because it grows so prolifically, oftentimes bursting out of gardens and onto banks as it makes its escape to the wild.

This Nasturtium recipe is an ideal dish to serve as a starter or part of a mezze. There is enough filling in this recipe to fill about 25 nasturtium leaves, any unused filling could be frozen and used at a later date.

Ingredients

Nasturtium leaves, washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g short grain rice (risotto rice)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
50g currants
50g pine nuts
Handful parsley, chopped
Good pinch each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and if you have it angelica seeds
½ teaspoon dried mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Suggested Instructions

For the filling fry the onion in the oil over a medium heat for about 8 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add the rice, coating in the oil for a couple of minutes, then add the rest of the filling ingredients. Cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. At this stage the rice will still be hard.
Place a nasturtium leaf on the work surface, darker side down. Put a teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of the leaf. Fold the two sides partially over the rice and roll tightly towards the top of the leaf, ending with the edge tucked underneath. Repeat with all the leaves.
I have found the easiest way to complete the cooking is in a slow cooker, if you own one. Heat up the pot on the high setting. Add the oil and lemon juice to the pot and carefully place the stuffed leaves so they fit quite tightly. Pour in enough boiling water to just cover, add the lid and cook for 1-11/2 hours when nearly all of the water should have been absorbed. They can also be cooked in an oven at 170ºC gas mark 3 for 50-60 minutes in a lidded casserole dish. It is also possible to cook them in a saucepan with a heat diffuser to keep the temperature as low as you can get it.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 5