Within the Living off the Land project I examined Nasturtium during an artist residency at The Compound Gallery and Studios in Oakland, CA. Nasturtium is a semi-wild plant that grows in great abundance within the San Francisco Bay Area’s metropolitan environments, not only in gardens and yards, but also in public parks, on empty lots and even in little green areas along domestic neighborhood streets. I created Nasturtium plates from ceramic clay, fashioned after actual real Nasturtium leaves harvested in The Compound’s backyard. I invented my own recipe for Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves, a dish that can serve as an appetizer, and resembles Creek Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades). The stuffed leaves were served on the Nasturtium plates, which were laid out on an arrangement of shelves during the show’s opening reception, garnished with Nasturtium flowers and leaves. The video shows my hands preparing the stuffed leaves. The only sound in the video is the sound relating to the food preparation process, such as cutting and mixing.
The photo documentation shows the arrangement at the beginning of the opening and at the end, when all stuffed leaves were eaten – as well as some detailed images of individual plates.
Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves
You need:
- about 25-30 large Nasturtium leaves
- a colander filled with Nasturtium flowers and young leaves
- ½ cup of millet
- feta (about 4 oz or ½ a block of Trader Joe’s feta)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and back pepper to taste
Preparation:
- rinse millet seeds in a fine-mesh strainer and bring to a rolling boil in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Lower heat so it simmers slowly. Once all the water is gone, turn heat off and stir the millet with a spoon
- fill a large pot with water 2/3 and heat up the water
- rinse Nasturtium flowers and young leaves in a colander
- set 25-30 of the flowers aside
- finely chop the rest of the flowers and young leaves and put them into a medium-size bowl
- add millet and finely crumbled feta
- chop garlic finely and add into bowl
- add some salt and pepper
- mix everything together in the bowl
- add enough olive oil to achieve a wet mush
- rinse the large Nasturtium leaves in a colander
Making the Wraps:
- place the colander with the Nasturtium leaves next to the pot with hot water (it does not need to boil, you can take it off the stove)
- place 3 leaves into the hot water to soften them
- take the first leaf out with a fork and place it upside down on the plate. Cut off the stem
- place a spoon full of the mush onto the leaf and fold the leaf to create a wrap
- do the same with the other 2 leaves that are in the pot, then place another 3 leaves in the pot – proceed until you have used up all the leaves
- place the stuffed leaves on small plates and garnish them with the Nasturtium flowers you set aside earlier
