edible weed flatbreads.

After purchasing the April issue of Martha Stewart Living, I fell madly in love with an article on edible weeds. My vegetable garden is frequently overflowing with weeds, all of which usually get thrown in either the compost bin or the yard waste bin, so I was quite excited to learn that some of these could be used in cooking. The recipes in the article include jams and cordials, which all sounded wonderful, but there was one recipe that caught my eye immediately: Flatbread with Sorrel Pesto and Edible-Weed Salad. It was one of those recipes that I just couldn't wait to try.

I have recently become rather infatuated with the beautiful bunches of sorrel at our local farmer's market, so I picked up a couple last weekend. During the week, I suddenly realized that I had all too many vegetables to use in my vegetable drawer, so I decided to make some sort of a vegetable feast for family. The menu included: the edible weed flatbreads, mini tofu quiches with red onions and broccoli, honey-roasted carrots, beet salad with fresh feta, thin sweet potato fries, and sugar snap peas with oregano. The star of the meal was the flatbread which turned out to be one of the most delicious foods I have eaten in awhile. I think I could easily have them all the time.



Flatbread with Sorrel Pesto and Edible-Weed Salad: from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

For flatbreads
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
Coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and drizzling
For topping
1 1/2 cups (1 3/4 ounces) loosely packed sorrel leaves, stems trimmed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if you want to make this vegan, use vegan Parmesan, which I did)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cups assorted edible weeds, such as chickweed, purslane, or lamb's-quarters (any tender greens can also be used)

Directions:

To make flatbreads: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine yeast and water, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir well.
Pulse flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor to combine. Add yeast mixture and oil. Process just until dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough. Divide into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a 6-inch disk. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place flatbreads on an inverted baking sheet.
Bake, without turning, until both sides of each flatbread are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets. Cut each flatbread in half crosswise.

To make pesto and salad: Process sorrel, Parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until coarsely ground. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is emulsified. (Pesto may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Spread 2 tablespoons pesto on each flatbread, and top with 1/2 cup edible weeds. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.