Sclopit (Silene inflata)

Sclopit: comment le cuisiner? Cher lecteur, excuse-moi de t'ècrire en anglais. Je comprends le français, mais je n'ècrive pas bien.

Sclopit is a spontaneous herb from Friuli, Italy, also known as erba silena or stridolo.

Fred Plotkin, in his book La Terra Fortunata, says: 'This peppery, slightly musty, and very grassy herb appears in spring and, in addition to appearing in herb mixes, very often appears on its own as a flavouring in risotto".

The risotto all' erbe spontanee is a good example of cooking with sclopit. In a heated pan, add olive oil, butter and a tsp of pancetta and then add a very well minced onion and a mixture of herbs, sautèe for a minute. Move the herbs to the side of the pan and fry the rice, proceeding as in any risotto from then on.

I figure that, like many other wild herbs, it can be used in salads, omelets, pizza toppings and sandwiches. When using the raw herb, prefer young and tender leaves, added towards the end of preparation.