We recently sat down to chat with Beautiful Gardens of Wanaka founder Florence Micoud to learn all about her business, her approach to regenerative tourism and her vision for the future of our shared natural spaces.
While chatting we also asked her to share with us her favourite local seasonal produce, and silverbeet was up at the top of her list along with broad beans! She generously shared three ways she likes to prepare them, so you can have a go at finding your favourite way to eat this delicious and nutritious leafy green.
How Florence enjoys silverbeet:
Add them to any vegetable dish
I separate the stalks and leaves, then chop the stalk in 5mm parts and add them to any veggie pot. I roll the leaves and cut slices about 1cm wide, then add them to the veggie pot 5 min before the end of cooking, with lid.
For simple cooked silverbeet
Prepare the stalks and leaves as above. Cook the stalks in 12-15 min in a pot with lid (steam) or 40 min covered in the oven. Add the leaves to cook 5 min in pot with lid or 20 min in the oven. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper if you like.
Silverbeet gratin
For variety, I bake silverbeet in a gratin, sometimes the stalks, sometimes the leaves, combined with these simple sauces. Both stalks and leaves like these combinations. Steam the leaves before being incorporated with the sauce to reduce volume.
Make a blanc-mange (white sauce) with feta and pinch of nutmeg.
Or use passata (tomato puree) with cubes of cheddar and Mediterranean herbs
Bake at 180 deg for 40 min is using stalks, and 20 min if using leaves.
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