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Cossack's Asparagus
Cossack's Asparagus is a traditional Russian recipe for a classic dish of reedmace (cattail) shoots that are lightly boiled and served with plenty of dill butter. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Russian version of: Cossack's Asparagus.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
15 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodVegetarian RecipesHerb RecipesVegetable RecipesRussia Recipes
To harvest reedmace shoots, select the largest shoots that haven't begun to flower (best done in late May or early June) then use both hands to separate the outer leaves from the core, going all the way to the base of the plant. Grab the inner core with both hands, as close to the base as possible, and pull it out. Peel and discard the outermost layers of leaves from the top down, until you reach the edible part, which is soft enough to pinch through with your thumbnail (note that you will need to peel more layers from the top of the plant). You will have less waste if you do this in the wild, but preparing the shoots will cover your hands with a sticky, mucilaginous jelly that you need to scrape off. However, if you do this at home you can collect the jelly and use it, okra style, as a thickener for stews. If you pick the shoots just before they flower then almost the whole shoot is edible (not just the base) and a few shoots will be enough for this dish
Ingredients:
24 x 10cm lengths of
Reedmace shoots
75g butter
4 tbsp fresh
dill, finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Prepare the reedmace shoots (as described above) until you have the soft white cores. Cut into 10cm lengths then bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the shoots and coo for about 6 minutes. Drain then arrange 6 on each plate.
For the dill butter, soften the butter in a bowl, add the dill and season with salt and black pepper then mix with the back of a spoon. Form into a cylinder, wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill until it hardens. Slice into rounds and use to top the cooked reedmace shoots. Serve immediately.
