Subject: Grocery store aroids
Julius,
I found some bulbs bigger than a softball in a bin with some Taro roots
at the local grocery. I
peeled off a sticker that had the food name on it and promptly lost it on
the way home.
The bulb/corm/tuber? was very symetrical, smooth, tan in color, sort of
more pointed on top and more flattened on the bottom. There appeared to
be circular marks like meridians around it but not really very distinct.
I got the impression that it is a West Indian food.
My curiosity is killing me. I think I'd recognize the name. Do you have
any suggestions?
Ray
Dear Ray,
It sounds like you have been lucky enough to have purchased some Dasheen!!
(A.K.A. malanga cabeca, malanga islenea, taro. kalo, etc.)
Peel, cut into 2" cubes, boil in salted water for about 20 mins or untill it
tests "done", mash, add butter, milk, a little garlic powder, some grated
cheese, place in a greased bowl, cover with grated cheese, bake for 25 mins at
325 degs (you may have to "brown" the cheese topping in the broiler), and
enjoy!!! Check the Aroid news letter for more ways to enjoy "our" plants than
by just growing them!! Try it as a substitute for potatoes in soups. It
generally doesn`t "travel" well, though I manage to find GOOD stuff here in W.
Palm Beach, Florida. If it`s texture is a bit "woody", it has been on the
road for too long.
Good luck!!
ju-bo@msn.com
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