Purslane and Herb Salad

Purslane tossed with arugula, coriander and parsley in a walnut oil and horseradish dressing, finished with goat cheese and walnuts. No country is claimed. **It contains walnuts and walnut oil, which the title gives no indication of.** Purslane deserves more attention than it gets. It is a succulent with thick, glossy leaves and a lemony, faintly saline crunch, and it grows as a weed almost everywhere, including in pavement cracks, as the source cheerfully notes. Across North Africa and the Middle East it is not a weed at all but a cultivated vegetable: Moroccan bakoula pairs it with preserved lemon and olives, and Turkish semizotu salatası is a standard mezze. Its status as an ignored weed is a Northern European and North American peculiarity. The dish itself is Western in construction, walnut oil, white balsamic, horseradish, goat cheese, so it sits in Worldwide Recipes, but the ingredient has a genuine North African life. Two practical notes. Herbs by the cupful rather than the sprig is the point: this is a herb salad rather than a leaf salad with herbs in it. And purslane holds up to heat, so leftovers can be wilted rather than thrown away. The source's claims about collagen, wrinkles and scarring have not been carried across.