Bardana

Toasted seed over shredded root, fried till the fibres separate.

Salt drives into the fibre and turns the muddiness into savour.

Sweet orange batons against bitter brown ones; same pan, same cut.

Sweetness is the only thing that makes the astringency pleasant.

Deglaze with it; the alcohol lifts the muddy note off the root.

Long simmer, and the burdock gives more to the broth than it takes.

Heat masks the earthiness that puts most people off the first time.

Braised together, the root perfumes the meat with soil, in a good way.

Roasted tea and roasted root share the same scorched-earth register.

Roast the shavings and the pyrazines line up almost exactly.