[Ingredient] Dandelion Greens

[Richard Kilgore]

I picked up some dandelion greens at the store today, but have never used them before. Adding them to a green salad with a simple vinegarette is the obvious thing to do, but I am interested in hearing about ways to use them in other ways in salads, as well as cooked alone or as part of a dish.

How have you used them in your part of the world, and what are your favorites?

[ChefCrash]

Cut one bunch into ~ 3 sections and blanch til tender. Cool and squeeze tightly to remove all water. Divide in two and set aside.

Lebanese peasant preparation:

Saute 1/2 to 1 cup diced onions in 1/4 cup olive oil medium/high til slightly brown. Add half of Dandelions to pan, salt to taste and saute few more minutes and finish with lemon squeeze. Enjoy warm with Pita bread.

Another preparation:

Mix 1 clove garlic finely smashed with other half of blanched Dandelions. Add equal amounts of Olive oil and lemon juice. Salt to taste and enjoy at room temp. with Pita bread or on a crostini with Goat cheese.

Or you could use either of those mixtures to stuff in these thingies.

[petite tête de chou]

Make soup. Add a couple handfuls of the chopped greens to a simple vegetable or chicken broth- include a bit of asparagus for something a bit more substantial.

Do a riff on eggs benedict. English muffin, sauteed greens, poached egg and a light butter/chive sauce.

Saute peas, garlic, spring onions and greens in butter, add a bit of cream towards the end and toss with pasta.

I've not tried any of the following recipes but there's some interesting ideas, especially the won tons. click!

[Miriam Kresh]

Dry the leaves, store in glass jars away from the light, and chuck some into winter soups. Food as medicine: dandelion leaf and root are good liver support and help you get through the winter dismals till springtime brings fresh greens again. I find that any soup with a handful of dandelion leaves in it brings compliments, although the eaters may not be aware of the secret ingredient.

If you make your own pasta, simmer the leaves in a little water till they're tender, then incorporate them into your dough as you would with spinach.

If the dandelion is young and tender, roll some up into bundles and dunk them into fritter batter - then fry up. Very good, especially with the dipping sauce of choice.

Make sure that no stalks are included in your dandelion leaves; they contain a natural latex and are not edible.

Miriam

I used to make beer from the roots and leaves of dandelion...ah...

[lperry]

I found dandelions at the Asian grocery about a week ago and made a wilted salad with a hot dressing. I looked all over the internet for different ideas and came up with this one.

I sauteed shallots and walnuts in walnut oil, added an herb vinegar, salt, pepper, and mixed the greens in the pan. I put a little honey in the dressing to balance the bitterness of the greens and added shaved parmesan on top. (No blue cheese in the house).

I'll definitely pick them up every time I see nice ones.

[Kevin72]

I made them, raw, into a salad several years ago and found them to be inedibly bitter. I gave 'em another shot later on and cooked them. Since then I've picked up quite a taste for them and really crave them this time of year, but I always cook (blanch) them first. I like them most with orecchiette pasta and sausage. I made a traditional braised lamb dish from Puglia in Italy with them and really liked the mineraly flavor they lent the dish.

[FoodMan]

I like their bitter taste raw. I pick them from my backyard and eat them raw in salads with extra virgin olive oil or in sandwiches in place of lettuce or spinach.

I have to try some of Kevin's suggestions though, pretty interesting stuff.

[chromedome]

The flavour is milder (no more bitter than many other salad greens) when picked either very young and tender (about thumb-sized), or in fall, after they're pretty much spent for the year. At any time of the year, avoid clumps with flowers coming up; those will always be bitter.

I use them occasionally in salads, but as the only enthusiastic eater of bitter salad greens in my house they're a solitary pleasure. More usually I blanch them and use them in stirfries, or as part of a "boiled dinner" with a ham. I've also used them with lemon zest and pine nuts to stuff a piece of pork loin, which was quite good. You may also want to incorporate them into a spanakopita or something of that sort, which is impeccably authentic if you care about such things.

Wolfert goes on at length about these and wild greens in general in one or another of her books (probably more than one), so if you're a fan you may want to hit that section of your bookshelf.

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks for all the interesting ideas. Last night I used them, blanched in an omelet with onion, potato, crimina mushrooms and herbs -- and grated P-R on top. Nice. I'll look forward to trying them some of these other ways, too.