Cooking with Onion Weed

Yes, the meadows and orchards of Oratia are full of it, and it is a weed, slowly creeping towards my house, unaware that I will EAT IT! Foraging is back into fashion, and what better excuse to be kind to the environment (Weed Free Waitakere!!!) and your health. Eat raw, or cook.

You can eat the flowers, stem and bulbs, finely chopped and tossed on salad or on a steaming bowl of soup. Also add to noodles, fried rice and any other dish that would required chopped spring onions (with the difference that these are free while spring onions cost $2 for about 5 stalks!).

The bigger bulbs and stalks can be dipped in dressings and sauces like you would do with carrot and celery sticks.

Alternatively chop and sauté in a frying pan with a drop of olive oil, add a pinch of salt, and serve as a side dish, or as an ingredient to make pies, omelets, pasta sauces, or the base for risotto, soups and stews.

Excellent sautéed with tofu and dressed with a drop of soy or tamari sauce.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Buon Appetito!

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