Foraged

I’ve mentioned dandelion greens (in one of my first posts – sorry for the quality!) here in the past, but they don’t show up often because we don’t eat them often. they are incredibly bitter, and therefore not a house favorite. However I spotted them in a grocery store recently and decided to give them another shot, thinking that maybe farm grown would be less bitter. While I was very wrong in thinking that I don’t think we are going to stop trying them. There is a saying that Momma Chuck always says that goes something like “you have to try something 17 times before you know if you like it or not”. I like this because if forces us to move out of our comfort zone, keeps things interesting and adds to our health

The recipe I used this time is one that is adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. I liked this recipe because it was easy and it helps mask some of the bitterness. I think next time I might serve them with a red sauce or something with something higher in acid to balance out the bitter taste.

I also tested out this recipe with a few other greens and found it lent itself well to kale, chard, and spinach, though perhaps best with spinach. I think it might be a nice method to cook broccoli rabe, which is one of my favorite vegetables. Really anything with oil and garlic is good. There is no going wrong there.

Dandelion Greens with Double Garlic

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound dandelion greens with stems, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic minced

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic, pepper flakes, and some salt and black pepper and cook for about 1 minute. The garlic should soften and become fragrant.
Add the greens and stock. Cover and cook until the greens have wilted slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, but continue to cook and stir until the liquid has all but evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Tis’ the season for dandelions. This hardy, hard to remove weed is actually one of the many overlooked super foods in my opinion. It gets its name from “dents de lion” which is French for “teeth of the lion”. And in case you’re wondering it’s on the FDA’s list of safe foods and is approved by the Council of Europe, so you can go look it up if you don’t believe me. The leaf and root are mild laxatives and have been used for centuries to treat problems in the liver, kidneys, stomach and gall bladder. They also help to stimulate a weak digestive system, and aid with rheumatism, as well as get rid of warts, soothe bee stings, sores and calluses. On top of all this it is a great source of vitamins A, C, D B-Complex, and the minerals Zinc, Iron, Potassium. It’s even believed that making dandelion tea can help you lose weight. Now remind me why everyone hates these things?

I have always liked dandelions, and never understood why so many people strive to remove them from their lawns. I always thought that nice little pop of yellow helped to cheer a lawn up; and as kids who did not love to blow all the little seed copters away? But I digress; I wanted to write this post to discuss the varied ways in which one can introduce this neat little vegetable into their diet. At this time I would also like to note that while you can find the plant just about anywhere in the US it’s important to use your brain while picking them. Try to avoid areas where pesticides are sprayed, or areas near traffic, you could just end up eating exhaust fumes and carcinogens. Once you’ve picked and thoroughly washed your greens you can eat them raw, though beware they tend to be a bit bitter, and the older the leaves are the more bitter they become. The best time to pick them is just around Easter, when the leaves are still fresh and young, however even the older leaves can be tamed with some vinegar and/or fatty meat.

Last night I made Bitter Green Salad with Fried Potatoes, and Hot Bacon Dressing. This recipe has a surprising depth of flavor for its simplicity. To make it a full meal I also cooked up a simple steak with some mason butter on top. The juices from the steak, and the butter mixed with the dressing to create a downright delicious combination.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped dandelion leaves (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups baby red leaf lettuce
1 cup romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped escarole
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
¼ cup red onion sliced thin
½ lb maple flavored bacon
1/4 cup apple cider vineager
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 med. apple, peeled and chopped into 1/4in pieces
4-5 medium potatoes peeled and chopped into ¼-1/2 in. pieces
3 tablespoons EVOO
salt/pepper
garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with salted water. Boil until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes).

Drain and set aside. In a large pan heat EVOO and season with salt, garlic, and parsley. Once hot add potatoes and fry stirring constantly until they are browned and crispy on the outside (about 5 mins).

Meanwhile in a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp and brown. Remove bacon and half drippings. Add the vinegar and sugar, and cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the apples and stir to combine. Sauté apples until they are a little soft, about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the dandelions, red leaf lettuce, escarole, romaine, radishes, onion, and a few crumbled pieces of bacon. Toss to mix. Add fried potatoes, and pour hot bacon and apple mixture over salad.

Another one of my favorite recipes is one that I adapted from one of Anne Burrell’s (Food Network). It’s a twist on a BLT, and I love it. To spice it up even more it is delicious with some deli turkey but beware it’s a big sandwich!

Honey crisp apple, Smoked Cheddar, Bacon, and Dandelion Sanwich

Ingredients

· EVOO

· 4-8 strips thick-cut bacon (depends on how much bacon you like)

· 2 Slices of your favorite bread

· 1 Honeycrisp apple, sliced thin

· 1/2 cup grated smoked Cheddar

· 1 tablespoons cider vinegar

· 1 cups dandelion greens, sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons

· salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels. DO NOT ditch the bacon fat. Reserve it for finishing the bread.

Toast the bread slices lightly on both sides in the oven. Remove the toast from the oven and arrange a thin layer of the sliced apples on each toast. Top the apples with the cheese and return the toasts to the oven. Bake until the cheese starts to melt, about 5 minutes

Place bacon strips on each crostino and return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes.

While the crostini are doing their final toast, ditch about half the bacon fat. Heat the remaining bacon fat in the pan and whisk in the vinegar. Turn the heat off and toss in the dandelion greens, season with salt and stir to coat the greens with the vinaigrette.

Remove the crostini from the oven, cut the bread in half and then top with the wilted dandelion greens.

You can keep this as an open faced sandwich or Place another piece of toasted bread on top.

Mark Bittman’s Dandelion Greens with Double Garlic

Dandelion Season!

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