Poke Salad Annie

Though I grew up near the Mississippi Delta, there are a few Southern delicacies I've yet to try, like Kool-Aid pickles. And some I'll NEVER try — like chitlins and pickled pig's feet. Last night, I tried Poke Salad, a wild semi-poisonous green common in rural Southern cooking.

Some folks like to serve it with scrambled eggs, so I whipped up this Poke Salad with Scrambled Tofu:

Poke Salad resembles spinach in taste and texture, and it was the perfect accompaniment for the tofu, which I seasoned with nooch, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and soy sauce. On the side, I sliced a summer tomato from the farmer's market (yea for summer tomatoes!!!!) and a slice of Ezekiel bread spread with Marmite.

My Granny gave me a batch of poke salad that she'd had frozen in her deep freeze. It was already prepared, so I only had defrost it and heat it in a little safflower oil.

Now, I mentioned that poke salad is poisonous. According to Wikipedia, poke salad must be boiled three times, discarding the water each time, to remove all toxins. I believe Granny did all that before she gave it to me. At least, I hope so.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about poke's poisonous properties:

The eating of nonfatal quantities of poke, perhaps of the shoots, may cause retching or vomiting after two hours or more. These signs may be followed by dyspnea, perspiration, spasms, severe purging, prostration, tremors, watery diarrhea (often bloody) and, sometimes, convulsions. If a fatal quantity is eaten, perhaps including roots, the above signs are followed by paralysis of the respiratory organs and other narcotic effects, culminating in the death of the poisoned person.

Um, wow. The good news is, I ate it last night and for lunch today, and I'm still alive. So I think Wikipedia is probably exaggerating a little, like they do with the possible side effects in those drug commercials on TV. However, I'd caution everyone to make sure you find a good Southerner who can help you prepare this green if you plan to go picking your own wild poke.

On another note, my awesome neighbor Wes brought me another plate of food tonight — Fried Hominy, White Beans, and Fried Potatoes (I added the organic kale because it was about to go bad):


I was planning on making the Chickpea Noodle Soup from VCon, but that'll have to wait. Hot, yummy FREE food from my favorite neighbor is way better!