[Sca-cooks] Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 33, Issue 55

[Gaylin Walli]

I posted this to the Apicius list a while back and I'll repeat it here so I
don't have to retype it--Iasmin

Others have spoken on the celery and pumpkin substitutions, but no one
yet has commented on the rue issues and the reasons for the
substitutions. Growing rue is ridiculously easy if you have the garden
space, but a quick google search will net you information on the
possibility of contact dermatitis when the plant is handled (luckily I
do not have this problem at all). The reason most people don't include
it in recreation recipes is not the dermatitis issue, but the
possibility of Rue acting as an abortificant. There is evidence to
suggest that pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should
avoid this plant completely.

That having been said, I do use it in my personal cooking for recipe
testing, so I can get a decent idea of the taste. My personal opinion
is that the leaves of radishes works the best. They give the herbally
green taste and the bitterness you're seeking. Rosemary or even celery
(which people have suggested in the past) don't even come close to
matching the taste of rue like radish greens do. Just remember to wash
them carefully. I personally think of it as a bonus. Most people toss
their radish greens without using them. This is the perfect way to use
everything!


On Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 3:01 PM, <sca-cooks-request at lists.ansteorra.org>wrote:

> Rue - does this produce a sourish type flaovring/tang?  What kind of
> ingredient would I substitute for that?
>