DINNER BELL : Heart skips a beat for sweet, tender hearts of palm
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
I fell in love with tender hearts of palm at first bite.
The thin, cylindrical hearts with an ever-sosubtle sweet taste are the core of the sabal palmetto, a tough-barked palm that also is the state tree of Florida.
During the Great Depression when food was scarce, hungry folk sometimes scavenged hearts of palm from the wild in Florida and they became regarded as poor man’s fare. Native Floridians called them “swamp cabbage.” But when the masses discovered the delicate, subtle flavor, it became “millionaires’ salad.” (Information from wisegeek. com Web site. )
A longtime friend from Florida tells of felling one of the trees for food while on a camping trip years ago. Harvesting its tender core from the tough bark was not an easy task, he says, but the fresh heart was a treat beyond belief.
The rigorous harvesting process kills the trees, but scientific development has made commercial production feasible. It is sold fresh in some large-city markets, but in our area, except in rare instances, only the canned version is available. You can find them in the canned-vegetable aisle in most supermarkets. The canned version is somewhat less delicious, but delicious nevertheless.
Even the canned doesn’t come cheap — a 15-ounce can costs about $ 4 — but one can is enough to make either of the following recipes. Though entirely different, both are delicious. If you like horseradish and beets, the first is a sure hit. In the second, the hearts are combined with chopped fresh vegetables and marinated in an oil and herb dressing — refreshing and delicious. Hearts of Palm and Beet Salad With Horseradish Cream Salad: Soft-leafed lettuce for lining salad plates 6 small beets, cooked, patted dry, quartered and sliced 1 / 4-inch thick OR 1 (15-ounce ) can sliced beets 1 (15-ounce ) can hearts of palm, sliced crosswise Horseradish dressing: 1 / 2 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 teaspoons bottled creamy horseradish, or to taste Salt and ground black pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil To make the salad: Line 4 salad plates or 1 large platter with lettuce and arrange beet slices and hearts of palm decoratively on top of lettuce. To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, lemon juice, horseradish and salt and pepper (to taste ) for 10 seconds, or until frothy. Add oil, drop by drop, whisking until wellcombined. Drizzle dressing over salads. Makes 4 servings. Recipe from cooks. com.
Hearts of Palm Salad Herb dressing: 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced 1 / 2 cup olive oil OR vegetable oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 / 2 teaspoon dried mint 1 / 2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 / 4 teaspoon dried tarragon 1 teaspoon salt 1 / 2 teaspoon ground black pepper Salad: 1 cup (canned ) hearts of palm, cut crosswise in 1 / 2-inch slices 1 / 2 cup chopped celery 1 / 2 cup chopped green onions, green and white parts 10 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half 1 or 2 medium avocados, peeled, seed removed, coarsely chopped, optional 1 bunch arugula, optional 1 (2 1 / 2-ounce ) can sliced black olives, optional Iceberg or romaine lettuce To make the dressing: Place all ingredients in small bowl and whisk together.
To make the salad: Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle with herb dressing. Toss to coat vegetables. Chill. Serve on a bed of leaf lettuce.
Makes 4 servings. Recipe adapted from cooks. com.
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