EAT: Cooking with Lovage

LOVAGE, Love Parsley (Levisticum officinale)

Lovage can readily substitute celery in your cooking, and being more accessible and productive is a wonderful addition to the permanent plants of your vegie patch.

Pick lovage stems and leaves as you need them. Use as a feature vegetable steamed or sautéed, or as a flavour addition with day to day cooking.

Coleslaw with Lovage

1/4 red cabbage finely sliced

1/4 white cabbage finely sliced

1-2 stems of lovage (included green leaf) julienned

1 grated carrot

1/2 finely diced red onion

1/2 cup of currants or similar dried berry fruit

one lemon zested and zest finely diced

Juice from half of the zested lemon

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, or other nut such as cashew or pistachio

Mix all ingredients in a very large bowl adding nuts/seeds just prior to serving.

Dressing (Mayonnaise):

Juice from the other half of the zested lemon

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

teaspoon of seeded mustard

one cup of mild olive oil

3 egg yolks

Make mayonnaise by blending at high speed the three egg yolks, adding slowly the cup of oil in a very fine trickly, about mid way through oil blending add vinegar, & lemon juice to force emulsion of mayonnaise. Continue to blend at high speed until all oil added and the mix is now very thick. Mix through by hand seeded mustard last.

Serve in a jar or jug with salad so guests can add own preferences of dressing.

Other recipes:

Lovage, Lettuce, Pea & Cucumber Soup

Steamed Mussels with Lovage

Sauteed Chicken with Cider & Lovage