Inspired by my visit in the spring to Tokyo’s underground blanching of Udo (Aralia cordata), see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=8299, I dug up a couple of roots in the autumn for indoors forcing. I kept them cold in the cellar until about a month ago and then progressively moving them first to a cool room at about 10C and then the living room at about 18C when I’m at home (about the same temperature as down the Udo underground forcing caverns!)
I used them both in salads and also in a mixed vegetable baccalao dish. Baccalao is a Norwegian / Portuguese stew based on dried and salted cod.
Roots dug up in the autumn and planted in a large bucket which was put in my cold cellar for 4 monthsShoots appearing in my living room with another bucket over the top to keep light out! Note the thin white shoots appearing around the edges…this reminds me of the video from Mountain Gardens telling that Udo spreads by rhizomes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNzCpfSQWks&feature=youtu.beTasty blanched Udo was used to decorate the salad I made for Credo Restaurant in Trondheim during the Kosmorama festival!Blanched Udo at the back!I didn’t use all the shoots and I let two continue to grow and was used this week in a Baccalao dish
Ingredients in the Udo Baccalao dish including odds and ends left in the cellar, forced dandelion (top right), Jerusalem artichokes, Udo, chicories, turnips, Tragopogon, burdock, leeks and carrotsForced blanched dandelions with flower budsAssembling the baccalao with Udo on top
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