Crunchy, Tender Purslane

Purslane, the weed, is crunchy in a tender way. It tastes green, vegetal, like lettuce but more flavorful, and it’s a little viscous. Once, with Ihsan Gurdal of the inestimable shop Formaggio Kitchen, I picked lots of purslane at a market garden near Westport, Massachusetts. The grower had left a whole row unweeded, so it would fill with purslane just for Ihsan, who made a delicious salad for a big group. The salad was yoğurtlu semizotu salatası, the purslane salad he knew from growing up in Turkey. He used just the leaves and tips, giving them a lot of care, washing and picking them over before he mixed them with yogurt, garlic, and a little olive oil.