Stems, the often discarded pieces of vegetables, are culinary diamonds in the rough. Over the years we have tinkered with and highlighted the use of stems. There is our stem salad. There is our water spinach salad. There are the parts of the hosta plant. And there is the simplicity in cilantro. There is our collard green stem barigoule. There is the cauliflower stem slices. And there is the beet stem stew. There are many more stem-centric ideas within the posts of Ideas in Food. These few are an in-your-face reminder to not let the discard pile be discarded. As for the bowl above, we pickled collard green stems with preserved lemons and cherry peppers. The finished preparation has yet to find a permanent home, but it certainly wants to be folded into mayonnaise and be served with fish and chips.
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