Evening Primrose Root Gobo is a modern British wild food recipe for a classic accompaniment of boiled and then mashed evening primrose roots. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Boiled Evening Primrose Roots.
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The best time to collect evening primrose roots is between the autumn of their first year and the spring of the second year before the shoot for the flower spike develops. They can be eaten raw and have a mild and slightly spicy taste. However, as the plant contains raphides (a needle-shaped crystal of calcium oxalate occurring in clusters within the tissues of certain plants) which means that they can be irritant. The amount will vary between plants but it means that some roots may need prolonged soaking and cooking to eliminate them.
One disappointing feature of evening primrose is that though they oxidise to a bright pink on cutting, that pink colour leaches out on boiling, giving a slightly disappointing grey final product. If you want to preserve the colour, cook the evening primrose with a few slices of beetroot. It will readily absorb the beetroot colour which it retains after finishing cooking.
Wash and peel larger second-year roots and just give smaller first-year roots a good once over with a kitchen scourer. I boil them whole for 25-30 minutes until soft, like carrots or parsnips. Some references say Evening Primrose root has a peppery flavour and should be cooked in two changes of water to reduce that. I’ve never found ythe plants I've foraged (or planted in my garden)to be at all peppery, and would describe them as something like combination of turnip, parsnip, and potato. Plants growing in different areas (and countries) may well taste different, and I have no reason to doubt others' reports.
Ingredients:
200g evening primrose roots
a little salt
1 piece of beetroot (optional, for colour)
freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
Place the washed roots in a bowl, cover with water and set aside to soak for 10 minutes (this is just in case).
In the meantime, bring a pan of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and the beetroot. The piece of beetroot is optional and is there to colour the water red. The evening primrose will absorb this colour so it retains its pink colour rather than blanching to a rather boring grey (but you don't have to do this and I didn't do it for the photo).
Add the evening primrose roots or root chunks then return to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes, until the evening primrose roots are fully tender.
Coarsely mash the roots, turn into a serving bowl, add a pat of butter then garnish with freshly-ground black pepper then serve.
Blended with potatoes they make a make an interesting wild food influenced topping for shepherd's pie or fish pie. Mashed evening primrose roots can also be used as the base for fritters. Mash with butter, stir in one egg and a little flour and/or oats to make a sticky dough. Season to taste then form into little patties and pan-fry on each side until golden brown.
You can also mash and cool for a secret ingredient in sandwiches, pitas, or wraps (personally, I like to add some horseradish but if your roots are peppery, you may not need to).
