Polygonum cuspidatum
Japanese Knotweed, Fleece Flower,
Canadian Bamboo, Renouée du Japon • In the Kitchen

Intensely tart and  tangy, slightly lemony, can be used as a vegetable or a fruit, harvest young shoots  up to 30cm, discard the leaves; can be served like asparagus or rhubarb, as vegetable, with pasta, raw in salads,  in chutneys to desserts, side dish, soups, pickled, steamed, marmalades and jams, fruit compote using 1 part knotweed to 10 parts fruit. Cooked knotweed is very soft but can be used as a lemon substitute. Peel the longer shoots and fill with sweet or savory stuffing and bake with a sauce. High in vitamin A & C and contains antioxidants, high in oxalic acids.

Knotty Pork Loin with Wild Herb Risotto

Ingredients • Knotty Pork Loin

  • 1kg pork loin,
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • 250ml wine
  • 250ml stock

Instructions • Knotty Pork Loin

  • Insert a slim blade, no larger than 2.5cm through the center cavity of the pork loin lengthwise and repeat from other side creating a pocket to hold the stuffing, use your fingers or skewer to gently stretch the meat.
  • Season the meat
  • In a roasting pan add wine, stock and meat baste at interval for 1 hr
  • Reserve liquid

Knotweed Stuffing

Ingredients • Knotweed Stuffing

  • 125ml red onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 125ml chopped knotweed
  • 125ml chopped cooking apples, peeled and cored
  • 125ml tomatillos, chopped
  • 125ml wine
  • 30ml brown sugar
  • 1ml ground cloves
  • 1ml allspice

Instructions • Knotweed Stuffing

  • Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan
  • Simmer for an hour, until fruit and onions are binding
  • Remove from heat, cool down to room temperature
  • Preheat the oven to 275F
  • In a piping bag with a large tip fill with stuffing
  • Insert tip into pork loin incision and squeeze in half the stuffing
  • Repeat from other side until the stuffing fills the pork loin
  • Gently roll pork loin to evenly distribute the stuffing
  • Fold over each end of the pork loin and fasten with skewers
  • Roast for about 1 hr
  • Remove from oven
  • Let meat rest for 15 minutes
  • Slice in 5cm thick slices

Herb Risotto

Ingredients • Herb Risotto

  • 2L stock – add the reserved liquids to make up
  • 75ml butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 375ml Arborio rice
  • 125ml white wine
  • Salt
  • 375ml fresh basil, chopped
  • 250ml fresh young plantain leaves, chopped
  • 250ml purslane leaves, chopped
  • 125ml lovage, chopped
  • 125ml garlic chives, chopped
  • 180ml hard cheese grated– like Parmigiano-Reggiano

Instructions • Herb Risotto

  • Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium pot on low heat
  • In a larger pot melt 25ml of butter on medium heat
  • Add onion, stir until soft but not brown
  • Add the rice, reduce heat to medium-low and keep stirring
  • Add wine
  • Season with salt, keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed
  • Add 250ml of stock at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed
  • Continue the same process –may take up to 30 minutes to complete
  • Add remaining butter in a sauté pan
  • Add the herbs and remaining ingredients
  • Blend into the risotto
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper
  • Serve

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