Verdolaga, Purslane: The Best Cooked Greens
Verdolaga, purslane in English, is the indigenous Texas Mexican herb that I love to serve for company. It is my “go to” recipe for a delicious green side dish that goes with absolutely anything. Verdolaga grows plentiful for most of the year in central, southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. With fresh tomatoes, onion and green Serrano chile, it’s delicious. Also highly nutritious,
My mom cooked Verdolaga, collecting it from around the house and neighborhood. It is an authentic, ancient food, central to our Texas Mexican cuisine. Here in Houston you can find it growing in the cracks of sidewalks. Today not many cooks know about its culinary importance. Incredibly, it is disliked and considered a weed by large agribusiness. That’s unfortunate because verdolaga is super rich in Vitamins A and C, and contains more omega 3 fatty acids than some fish. Let’s not kill verdolaga, let’s eat it.
The scientific name is Portulaca oleracea, and although wikipedia and other sites claim it was brought here from Asia, it is now known by archaeologists that verdolaga is native also to Texas, the Southwest US and Mexico. The Pueblo and Navajo people gathered and ate these fresh, crispy greens, as did the Tewa, Mescalero Apache, Pima, Tarahumara and others. Pick the succulent leaves when they are just sprouting, in the first two weeks, when they are the most flavorful and nutritious.
This recipe features the classic verdolaga combination of tomato, onion, chile.
[print me]
Recipe for Verdolaga, Purslane
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 lb Verdolaga, washed and trimmed
1/4 Onion, peeled, sliced thinly, (makes 1/3 cup)
1 Garlic clove, minced
6 cups water
1 Roma Tomato, cut into large cubes
1 Green Chile Serrano, cut into thin slices
1 Tbl Canola Oil
1/4 tsp Salt or to taste
Generous grinding of Black Pepper
Method
1. Wash the verdolaga well and trim away any brown leaves and knotty stems. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the stems are completely soft. After they are cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the greens, and place them in a strainer to drain. Set the water aside. It is a delicious broth and also makes a great stock.
2. In a skillet, heat the oil, then add the onion, garlic, tomato and chile. Cook for about 3 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Place the verdolaga on a cutting board and cut it into 2″ lengths.
4. Add the verdolaga to the skillet and cook for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of the verdolaga broth, bring to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and correct the salt. Add a generous grinding of black pepper.
Serve hot.
NOTE: Sometimes you’ll want to serve it as a soup, so add all of the broth in step #4.
¡Buen Provecho!
Exactly how my mom used to make them. Can’t find any in the stores so I got seeds to grow them
My grandmother taught me how to make them and didn’t like the verdolagas but as I grew I started making them when I got married but I can’t find receipes the way grandma taught me what I do find some I boil them cook them drained them saute onion and tomatoes once done I add the drained verdolagas stir them medium heat add some white cheese and add a little milk so they won’t be dry and salt before adding the cheese and milk wallah dig in to them with side of fried beans kind juicy with diced meat with onion tomatoes and green chile fresh homemade tortillas yummy ready to make some but I haven’t been able to find some went to 4 mexican stores none tomorrow is another day who makes their verdolagas like I do?
I just made this recipe tonight, and it was incredible! Within five minutes of finishing cooking it was gone. Thank you for sharing it! It was so delicious and easy.
Thank you Thank you Thank you! My aunts and myself often talk about my Grandma’s cooking and one dish we never new how to duplicate was her Verdolaga’s with pork. I can’t wait to try this recipe. And All the interesting history !
I seriously feel like crying right now. I could not remember for the life of me how to do this recipe mi mami would always make it for me and years after her passing away I find this recipe which is EXACTLY as my mom’s. I am so happy I can’t wait to make this. I know some Mexican stores sell verdolagas in the produce area so I can’t wait to go on the “hunt” lol thank you soooooo much from the bottom of my heart!!!!
My grandma made dishes with vertolaga, especially with Pork. Need more recipes how to use it. Thank you
Hi, Mark, did my source citation help you?
Please try this: https://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/ethnobot/images/purslane.html
Will you please let me know if this is what you were requesting? Thank you
I am a Texas archeologist (retired), as well as a gardener and forager. I am interested in your mention that verdolago has been found archeologically in the region. Can you offer a citation or two? Thanks!
this was delish! I had a couple of lovely plants that went into the dish. a great use for purslane! we served with some antelope backstrap medallions. eating like royalty!