Hops is a spontaneous plant called in scientific jargon Humulus lupulus from the canabaceae family.

This plant has been known since ancient times as a curative remedy to calm and soothe but also as a tonic, diuretic, stimulant of the liver and purifying blood and intestines.

Hop is also an excellent digestive and helps against dysentery and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The use in the kitchen is traditional of the popular peasant culture that saw the harvest of this plant for culinary preparations. In particular its inflorescences are essential and well known for the production of beer while the young shoots can be used in the same way as asparagus.

But remember that the other parts of the adult plant are not edible and indeed contain substances that are harmful to humans, therefore it is not recommended to take them.

The new hop shoots

The young shoots of the hop plant are popularly called "bruscandoli" or even "wild asparagine" not to be confused with wild asparagus.

These hop shoots are about 20 centimeters long and begin to appear from March and throughout the spring they continue to germinate and grow.

From the month of May the plant usually begins to stop the new shoots and begins to develop towards the adult phase.

The areas where it mostly grows wild hops is near rivers or streams of water. This plant pridilige fresh climates and in Italy it finds a suitable environment for its development in fact we can see it grow spontaneously along the hedges and inmezzo to the brambles that skirt the woods and fields of plain up to an altitude of 1200 meters.

Recipes with hops

The new hop jets are used to prepare first courses such as risotto, soups and gnocchi . Moreover this asparagus is perfertta as a side dish to other dishes or for the preparation of pies and omelettes perhaps combined with other vegetables, leaves and wild herbs.

Or very simply we can boil the hop shoots and dress them with oil, salt and lemon juice. Let's discover some recipes ...

Risotto with hops

Ingredients

> 300 g hop shoots;

> vialone rice;

> vegetable broth;

> 1 onion;

> extra virgin olive oil;

> salt.

Preparation

In a similar way to the preparation of a risotto with asparagus, we can start with the preparation of hop jets and their washing. Take a saucepan to fry with olive oil and finely chopped onion.

When the onion is golden we will add the hops of hops previously cut and chopped remembering to leave only the whole tips.

In another pot, start to mix the rice with the vegetable broth which must be boiling. A couple of minutes before the rice is cooked we can add the sautéed bruscandoli and finish cooking by adding salt and spices to taste.

Green gnocchi with hops

The preparation of gnocchi always depends on the climate of the season as well as on the ingredients themselves . This is to say that the gnocchi recipe requires the ability to recognize the right consistency of the dough used to make gnocchi.

Ingredients

> 400 g mealy potatoes;

> 150 g flour;

> 150 g hop shoots;

> extra virgin olive oil to taste;

> salt to taste

Preparation

As with all gnocchi recipes, boiled potatoes, flour, salt, oil and, in this case, hop jets are served. These will have to be boiled until they are soft and once drained we will have to chop them into pieces that are not too large. At this point we will have to add the boiled and mashed potatoes and the sina flour to get the right dough, neither too soft nor too hard.

You can always use a food processor to mix the ingredients and make the dough smooth.

Now the gnocchi are formed about 2 centimeters wide and here you need the skill of learning to form them with a fork to give it the shape. If you are not very expert in gnocchi then it will be enough to make long rolls and cut them with a knife.

Once ready, the gnocchi can be cooked in boiling water for a few minutes and then once they are served we can season with extra virgin olive oil or with some other sauce to taste.

Fariflied with hops

Ingredients

> 170 g of chickpea flour;

> 150 g water;

> extra virgin olive oil to taste;

> 1 bunch of hop shoots;

> 1 onion;

> salt to taste

Preparation

The farifrittata is the light and vegan version of the omelette which is prepared by replacing the eggs with the chickpea flour.

The first step is to mix the ingredients for the fariptriata well with a whisk, then add the chickpea flour, water, oil and salt.

The dough should be quite liquid enough to be poured into the pan to make the porridge. Then the hop jets will be boiled in salted water for a few minutes until they are tender.

We will drain the water and coarsely chop the hop shoots.

In a non-stick pan we will put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a finely chopped onion to make it brown until it becomes golden. At this point, add the boiled hop jets and the chickpea flour slurry.

Cover with the lid for a few minutes and wait for it to cook. If we are capable, it is better to skip the fariptriata so that even the lower part is cooked evenly.

This dish is good both hot and cold served. You can also add wild asparagus or other wild herbs to the recipe .