Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed

our newest wild edible plant crush 

Eight years ago me and my two future co-founders of Burdock House were shopping real estate; meanwhile I was living in a tiny apartment on Lincoln street with my now ex-husband. We didn’t own a car for the year that we lived there and I would often bike down Chase street or Chase street’s eastern alley on the way home from the grocery store on 29th street. I recall stopping to look in the windows of a giant warehouse with many crooked windows that was for sale. We were always looking for houses. This place was not what I had imagined for my future home but I was drawn to it because of the bamboo-like jungle on the north side of the house. The dense forest-like green in the yard made the place feel magical. After looking up the listing for the giant building I put it out of my mind because the price was too high. As you may be wondering...this building is where I live now! A few months later I received an email from a friend in town who had heard I was trying to start a community. She told me her mother was selling a building at 2444 Chase and some stuff in between and now here we are.

The bamboo-like forest was a large stand of Japanese Knotweed. We now know that this plant that initially caused me to fall in love with our home is one of the most hated “invasives” in North America. This plant is hard to kill and spreads like crazy. It’s so dense that nothing else can grow in it’s shadow. Many savvy folks would think us irresponsible for not eradicating this “evil” plant, but the more we get to know it the more we adore it. Each spring we watch with amazement as the plant appears over the tops of our window sills and grows at a rate of about three to six inches a day before finally reaching it’s final height over the tops of our windows, creating a beautiful natural curtain that glows vibrant green during the day and the illusion that we do indeed live in a forest. In the late summer the Knotweed produces clumps of tiny white blossoms that hang and bounce in the wind. At that time our house fills with the odor of the blossoms - a rich, thick, honey smell that makes our mouths water...and we aren’t the only ones with watering mouths - our yard is swarming with pollinating insects. Invasive plants often get a bad rap for not being helpful to native pollinators, anyone who saw the literal clouds of bugs on the flowering Knotweed would laugh at this criticism.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better we learned this winter that Japanese Knotweed is edible and medicinal (the root has anti-inflammatory properties and is used in Lyme disease treatment protocols). After we tasted it we discovered it’s not just edible...it’s de-lic-ious!


Here is a video demonstrating the identification and steaming of this delightfully tangy and nutritious veggie and below you'll find a recipe utilizing it. Get out there and get some while the eatin’ is good (if you can’t find any come over to our house, we have plenty!) 

JAPANESE KNOTWEED PIZZA 

(serves 4-5 adults)



Ingredients:

flour

yeast (I prefer active dry but use whatever you are used to)

salt

mozzarella (if desired, get full fat if you can find it)

red or white pizza sauce

olive, canola or veggie oil

a nice sized armful of young knotweed shoots (see video for identification & harvesting help)



optional:

garlic
butter
more toppings 



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I make my pizza crust by look and touch. You can use a recipe if you are more comfortable with that but don’t be scared of the no-measure method because it’s hard to mess it up. I’ve been working regularly on perfecting my homemade pizza since 2011 so you can trust these instructions! :)

Don’t be scared of the amount of text in the “recipe” - it’s not complicated it’s just thorough.
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1. Proof one packet of yeast. Just follow the instructions on your packet. I use luke warm water and a bit of sugar. Stir it until the yeast is dissolved and let it rest until it foams. If you aren’t sure it’s ready to use put your ear to the cup and listen- you will hear bubbling sounds if it’s ready. One packet is good to rise dough for 2 large pizzas. You can double my “recipe” but be warned it may strain your kitchen aid or be very difficult to manage kneading by hand (especially if you are a novice kneader). If I need more pizza I usually do it in two batches.

2. Pour a pile of flour into a bowl or a kitchen aid bowl and add a bit of salt, the yeast water and a bit more warm water. Don’t leave out the salt- the dough will rise too high and pop. If you are using a kitchen aid turn it on low and add more flour and water until the dough ball is about the size and texture pictured below. If you don’t have a kitchen aid mix with a sturdy spoon until it’s too difficult then start working it with floured hands. Keep the dough in the bowl until it’s a nice cohesive ball.

3. Adjust by adding bits of warm water and flour until it’s the right moisture level. If you’ve made bread before you are going to want this a bit more moist than normal bread dough. It should be sticky but not like pancake batter wet and not so dry that you can touch it without getting messy. There is a gradient of acceptability here. Moister doughs are harder to work with but will bubble and crisp nicely and be more like a fancier pizza restaurant’s pizza crust. Drier doughs are going to look and taste more like cheap/freezer pizzas but still be super tasty and are much easier to stretch onto your pan. Let your kitchen aid work it for a long time on medium speed or knead on your counter (see below for kneading instructions).

An example of under kneaded dough 

an example of stretchy ready-to-go dough

4. When dough is stretching nicely without breaking right away if you give it a pull and it’s all sticking together in a round-like mass you can get it out of the kitchen aid and finish by hand. If you are doing this without a kitchen aid then just keep on doing what you are doing. I pull up the far side towards me and then push it forward and flatten with my palm and then rotate the dough and repeat over and over again. It is impossible basically to over-knead by hand so keep going long after you are tired of it (I’m talking 20+ minutes). If you are using the kitchen aid keep checking it and get it out to finish by hand as soon as it’s stretching well and smooth and glossy. You can overknead with a machine- it will look stringy and be breaking easily. Most homemade pizzas are under-kneaded. You will recognize this when you eat the pizza if the crust is cookie-like or more bready. The kneading work will make that chewy, crispy crust that most people prefer and it pays off so keep going! 

You can use water or flour on your hands and the counter to keep your dough from sticking. I use water if my dough seems on the drier side and flour if it’s too wet. Don’t worry too much about your decision because you can always change your mind later. If you find the dough is too sticky to knead then add some flour if it’s feeling hard and dry then add some water. It’s going to make a mess of your counter no matter what.



5. Form the dough into a ball by tucking and stretching the sides into the underside of your ball. You want the surface to be smooth and feel tight. Press the tight ball and see if the dough bounces back in place right away. If it doesn’t then you need to keep kneading. If it does then go to step six.



6. Wash your bowl with hot water and dry thoroughly. The bowl should be warm to jump start rising (ceramic and stainless are best). Grease it by spraying or rubbing and grease or flour your hands to move the dough ball into the bowl. Put it seam side down. Spray or rub oil onto the top of your dough ball. Many prefer the flavor of olive oil but I use canola because it is lighter and seems less likely to soak into the dough. It’s up to you. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic. You can use wrap or a grocery sack, or produce bag. A damp towel would work too but I like plastic better because the dough wont stick to it if it rises too high.



7. Boil a bit of water in a small sauce pan and put it in your oven and put the bowl in there with it. You can skip this step if your kitchen is 71 degrees or warmer. Our kitchen runs pretty cool this time of year. Ideally to create the perfect texture on your crust you would have your dough in a steamy, warm (75-80ish) environment for a half hour, then you would move it to a cooler place (55-65 maybe your basement?) for 2 to 6 hours and then form it into pizza sized balls and put it again in the hot and steamy place for 30 more minutes. You can try to simulate this if you feel like it and it’s possible for you. The pizza crust will vary a lot based on the temps and lengths of time it’s risen at. I’ve needed to rush my dough before to get it done by dinner and have found that you can achieve a gourmet texture with as little as two hours rise time but the slower, cooler rise pizzas have been my favorite. I’ve also risen dough in the summer in our 85 degree kitchen and it’s turned out great. You can pop the dough into the fridge at this time for as much as 24 hours if you need to hold it for another dinner or want to slow the rise time. It’s forgiving and just experiment to find your favorite way- just keep the dough away from drafts (it needs to stay moist).

The size shown will make a 16 inch with a decently thick crust.

8. Once the dough is doubled (or longer if you want a chewier, bubblier and more sourdough-like crust) you can form it into pizza sized balls.  Do not leave the dough to rise longer if your kitchen is hot (or even normal room temp) because it will exhaust the yeast and deflate. Use the fridge or a cool basement for a long rise time, or keep your house cool like we do. With this amount of flour I usually make two 16 inch pizzas or occasionally I make two large pizzas and a personal pan for Corina. If you like thin crust you should be able to make three pretty big pizzas. Don’t rip the dough to divide it as this disrupts the gluten-elasticity: use a bread knife. Do the tucking and stretching thing with each ball and then roll it in flour.


9. You can let it rest under oiled or floured plastic or damp kitchen towels on your floured counter or place on a large floured cutting board and cover to move to your super warm spot (maybe the top of your oven preheating? Or a yogurt incubator if you are fortunate to own something like that). Let the dough balls rest in this stage for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Be sure to keep them well covered so they don’t dry out. You could put one dough ball into a plastic zip bag at this point and freeze for later if you are cooking for one or two. If after a while your dough is collapsing and looking less ball like then you didn’t knead enough. It’s too late now but take note of that for next time.


10. Preheat oven to 550. If you can only get to 500 on yours that’s okay. Have one rack close to the top of the oven and one in the middle. Prep your cooking surface. I like a well oiled pizza pan but some people prefer a floured/cornmealed pizza stone. I have a stone but feel like the pizza pan gets a crispier crust and I hate cornmeal on pizza crust but it does work well to prevent sticking. You can use a greased cookie sheet if that is all you have but use the bottom side so you can slide the pizzas off easily to crisp up on the oven rack (you will be making several small pizzas).

11. Stretch the dough onto your pan. If you find that the dough is ripping in places then you need to knead it better next time. Don’t stress though, it’s not ruined. You can pinch off dough from thicker spots and press it into your holes. You just wont have as chewy a crust. Keep in mind that the dough is going to get taller and shrink inwards in the oven so stretch it a bit thinner than you want the finished product to be. If the dough is not stretching well and staying too ball-like then walk away for 5-10 minutes and try again. Stretch gently and slowly and avoid patting it hard into your pan (this will make it more likely to stick). Don’t try tossing it in the air unless you are just trying to be funny- it doesn’t work very well. This part takes practice but again, it’s forgiving.


12. When your dough is stretched how you want it I like to brush the surface with garlic butter. This adds wonderful flavor/richness and makes the crust a much nicer color. You can brush the crust with olive oil too for a similar effect. If you love garlic use tons of raw minced garlic in melted butter. I usually just use an expensive garlic powder and salt in melted butter. If you are concerned with consuming large amounts of fat then only brush the butter or oil on the edges.


13. Spread on your sauce. We are using a store-bought alfredo sauce because I think it will pair better than red sauce with the knotweed. You can use homemade alfredo, pesto, just garlic butter or a homemade/canned pizza sauce. Normally when I make pizza I water down and salt tomato paste to use for red sauce. Put a touch more sauce on then you would like the finished product to have because it will dry out a bit.

14. Wash and de-leaf your knotweed and cut it into bite size pieces and put on top of your sauced & stretched dough. This is the time to add any other uncooked veggies also (save any cooked toppings, meat, cheese or pickled things like olives or banana peppers to add later)



15. Bake until the dough is firm enough on the bottom to slide back and forth on the pan (you may have to loosen it from the pan with a spatula if you didn’t oil generously). If it’s sticky still or seems like it may rip if you slide it off the pan then put it back in. If it slides easily then add the rest of your toppings and slide it off the pan right onto the top rack of your oven. Resist the temptation to check your pizza often. Every time you open the oven you are losing heat and pizza is best cooked at very high temps.

16. When your cheese is bubbling and melty and the crust is browned and solid on the bottom get it out. Let cool on baking racks for awhile before slicing unless you want the cheese to slide off your pizza. The wire racks keep the crust from perspiring on itself causing it to get less crispy.


17. Eat!!! (To see our taste testers trying the recipe watch the Knotweed video posted at the top^)