New Zealand spinach

Tétragone

What it is

Joseph Banks collected it from the Endeavour in 1770 and Cook had it cooked for the crew as an antiscorbutic; the seed Banks brought back to Kew is the source of every European plant. It is not a spinach and not related to one — it belongs with the ice plant, which explains the thickness of the leaf.

In the kitchen

Blanch it a minute and throw the water out: it is high in oxalates and blanching takes most of them with it. It does not shrink the way spinach does, so measure it by the plateful, not by the heap.

Goes with

Olive oil Garlic Anchovy Lemon Pine nut Raisin Parmesan Chili pepper

In season alongside

Orach Broccoli Celery Cucumber Broad bean Frisée

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