Tulip Recipes. Stuffed tulip petals.

Stuffed Tulip Petals

The tulip leaves are clearly though the ground now in Devon and herald the fact that Spring is on the way. Trust me…. it is….I promise. So my thoughts turn to tulip recipes. Tulips don’t taste as you image… or rather as I imagine. They are sweet and crunchy – like the heart of a very sweet little gem lettuce. Really delicious. I was inspired couple of years back by a wonderful tulip recipe created by the very talented Urvashi Rowe otherwise known as @botanicbaker for stuffed tulip petals which was a cool and sophisticated recipe with stunning illustrations. I’m neither cool nor sophisticated and wanted to use some really hot coloured tulips grown at Maddocks Farm Organics to produce some really ‘zingy and slap you in the eye catching canapés’! These could easily be worked up into a really lovely vegetarian starter with the addition of  salad leaves, dressing and fetta cheese or grilled halloumi cheese. I also have some wonderful yellow and green striped tulips which look just stunning stuffed with a salsa verde and popped on the side of a plate of boned out leg of roasted lamb. The timing of the tulip season also coincides with that of wild garlic and garlic mustards so this would make a perfect addition. You could also top the tulip petals with hollandaise to go with fish etc etc. Pretty much anywhere where you need a really small ramekin of sauce. I will admit that when I’ve been short on time (and taking into account the excuse I am first a foremost a gardener and not a chef!) I’ve just raided the local supermarket and stuffed these with whatever is there from hummus to salsa. For the really hot coloured tulips above. I’ve attached some really cracking recipes used to generate the wonderful colours above. Recipe for the Red Pepper & Goats Cheese dip comes from http://greek.food.com/recipe/roasted-red… The beetroot dip came from http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/roa…. Last year I was involved in the Garden Festival at Powderham Castle and as part of the  press launch I created some tulip petals stuffed with a spicy hummus. Extremely easy to make and extremely eye-catching even on a very overcast day. You can buy organic edible tulips from us here. Please do not eat shop bought tulips. They are not the same and could make you very unwell. Information here. •A note of caution….. Whilst the general opinion is that all parts of tulips are edible, there is controversy about eating tulip bulbs and care and research should be taken if you want to eat more than just the petals. (More information can be found at http://www.eattheweeds.com/tulips-famine-food-appetizer-assistant-2/. ) I should also add that (like with many foods) in very rare cases some people are allergic to tulips. So if in doubt, nibble a little bit of the petals, spit it out and wait for 30 minutes or so to see you develop any typical symptoms of allergy such as flushing, dizziness, rashes or feeling sick in which case avoid.

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