Hearts of Palm Recipes

Palm hearts are ivory or pale straw in color. Many people don't know how the hearts of palm taste. They are firm to hold but have a tender and delicate flavor with a subtle sweet taste. Fresh ones can be somewhat crispy and crunchy but canned ones that are normally available seem to be soft. The core portion is definitely sweeter and more tender.

Palm hearts are cut into chunks before selling them fresh or canning them and selling them. In the South American food recipes, hearts of palm are used extensively in salads or other dishes. They are also used in fruit recipes and desserts to get a distinct taste. You can also use sauted or tossed palm hearts in Italian pastas.

In addition to the above, if you end up getting them fresh, you can have many hearts of palm recipes by baking, boiling, stir frying, braising and steaming the lovely veggie. The canned ones however would be a bit acidic in taste, in a pre-sliced form and preserved in a light broth. Palm hearts are also used as a topping on pizzas and in sandwiches in Brazil and South America and in some parts of the United States. Although, it is still considered a delicacy or a luxury food.

If you browse the net religiously and search for palm heart dishes, you will find a vast collection of hearts of palm recipes coming from almost all tropical regions of the planet like South American countries, Mauritius, the Caribbean islands and so on.

Dip Recipe
Here is an interesting hearts of palm dip recipe which is quite easy for cooking and can be served with bread, tortillas, chips or crackers.

Ingredients

• 1 can of hearts of palm chopped
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or grated asiago cheese
• cup mayonnaise
• cup fat free sour cream (also instead of mayonnaise for a low fat dip)
• 5 or more cloves of garlic
• cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
• Salt - as per your taste
• Any other herbs or chopped spinach if you like

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F or 175 C for 15 minutes. Grease a glass container or pie plate. In another container, mix the mozzarella, mayonnaise, garlic, chicken stock, palm hearts, onion, cream, salt and stir till it blends well. Then add the cilantro, herbs and spinach. Top it up with the Parmesan cheese and spread evenly in the glass container or pie plate. Leave it uncovered inside the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until you see bubbles or a light brown color.

Salad Recipe
There are many heart of palm salad recipes and you can alter or choose the ingredients as you want. I would give you just one principal recipe (for around 4 servings) and then you can decide what you would like to add or change as per your choice of vegetables and other items.

Ingredients

• 1 can of medium-sliced hearts of palm
• 5 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 chopped green onions
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• cup of fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of sliced black olives
• 1 tablesoon of sliced green olives
• cup of boiled corn
• 1 tablespoon of walnuts
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• Salt - as per your taste

Method

Now mix all the vegetables, add the hearts of palm, olives, garlic, corn, walnuts and salt. Then add the lemon juice and the olive oil and mix well till all the ingredients blend together. Top it up with the grated Parmesan cheese and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes or an hour and serve fresh.

Note that all the above are primary ingredients for thesalad. I recommend that you can add some chopped cilantro, cabbage, spinach, dill leaves, artichokes, steamed green beans, steamed asparagus, orange slices, chopped pineapple, strawberries, blue or black berries, grapes, avocado, steamed broccoli, lettuce and may be cucumber, if you want a totally vegetarian salad. Remember that, the more veggies or other ingredients you add, the more palm hearts are needed. This is because, you need the salad to get a unique taste which the hearts of palm bring to it.

Now if you want your salad to be a non-veg dish, try adding some chicken broth or fine slices of bacon or minced beef. You can also try adding chopped pieces of boiled chicken breast or medium-sized pieces of fully boiled eggs. Other food additives like black pepper, mayonnaise, black raisins, paprika, mustard, vinegar, poppy seeds, flax seeds, red and white wine and coriander may be used in very small amounts depending on the overall quantity of your salad. There are different hearts of palm recipes belonging to the Latin American and other tropical cuisines but I think this salad is absolutely awesome for any meal at any place and time during the day!

Soup Recipe
This soup is simply great, and is a must try if you are inviting any one over for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 5 cloves of chopped garlic
• Chopped tomatoes, spinach, cilantro
• Any other vegetables that can be used in a soup
• 1 can of hearts of palms
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 medium-sized chopped onion
• 2 cups of chicken broth or vegetable stock
• 2-3 tablespoons whipped cream or heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and white/black pepper to taste
• cup diced celery
• cup white wine (optional)
• 1 peeled and diced avocado and lemon slices for garnish
• 1 teaspoon dried basil and oregano (optional)

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic, celery, basil and onion and fry till it becomes golden brown. Add palm hearts, veggies, broth and wine and bring to a boil. Add the milk and the cream and bring to a boil again and turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper and stir well. Serve hot or cold and garnish with diced avocado and slices of lemon. This soup is also called the cream of, or creamed hearts of palm soup.

Make yourself an evening snack by baking or grilling slices of palm hearts. You can also try creating your own hearts of palm recipes by using them instead of cottage cheese or tofu if you need a change. Add them to your pizza toppings along with cheese and shrimp to get a lovely tropical and Latin American taste or try baking a pie using them. You would then believe me that they are indeed a fabulous creation of nature!