How to Prepare Chickweed

Lemony Chickweed Salad

• 1). Wash fresh chickweed greens thoroughly. Put chickweed in a large bowl of warm water to loosen any dirt on leaves. Remove chickweed from bowl, place in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain thoroughly.
  
  
• 2). Combine chickweed greens and feta cheese.
  
  
• 3). Prepare salad dressing by mixing garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Dressing will have a lemony, Mediterranean taste.
  
  
• 4). Pour dressing over the chickweed greens and feta cheese and serve.
  
  

Chickweed Pesto

• 1). Combine the chickweed, garlic, pine nuts, basil leaves, olive oil and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Process until finely and consistently chopped.
  
  
• 2). Add a pinch of salt to the processed pesto.
  
  
• 3). Serve pesto as a pasta sauce, spread for sandwiches or salad ingredient.
  
  

Chickweed and Shrimp Quiche

• 1). Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  
  
• 2). Sauté diced onion in olive oil in a large skillet until half-wilted. Add uncooked shrimp to the onion. Cook until shrimp is half pink. This will seal the onion flavor into the shrimp. Add fresh chickweed and stir mixture about 1 minute. Add beer, celery salt and pepper and stir well. Add the lightly beaten eggs and stir well.
  
  
• 3). Pour mixture into uncooked piecrust.
  
  
• 4). Place on a cookie sheet and bake 35 to 45 minutes. For the last five minutes of cooking, baste the crust with milk to produce a golden sheen. The quiche will be done when the middle is set. To test, stick a toothpick through the middle of the quiche and pull it out. If it comes out clean, your quiche is ready to serve.