These interesting greens range from slight to pronounced bitterness. They
take well to fragrant nut oils, shallots, sharp vinegars, and pairings with
citrus, apples, and pears, walnuts and hazelnuts and blue cheeses. They also
stand up well to hot dressing, which sweetens their bitterness.
1 large bunch dandelion greens about 1 pound
2 large thin slices sourdough bread
1 large garlic clove, halved
Salt and Pepper
1 large shallot finely dices
4 teaspoon sherry vinegar or aged red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 hard cooked eggs quartered
Directi
Carefully sort through the greens, then trim, wash and dry them well. Trim
and discard the long stems of the greens, then chop the remaining leaves
into bite-sized pieces. There should be about 6 cups. Toast the bread in the
oven until crisp, then rub it with garlic and break each piece into
quarters. Pound the same clove of garlic with ¼ teaspoon salt in a mortar
until smooth, then whisk in the shallot, vinegar and oil. Heat the
vinaigrette in a small skillet until it sizzles, and then pour it over the
dandelion greens while tossing them with tongs. Add the croutons and plenty
of pepper and toss again. Serve garnished with the eggs.
•
Variation with Roasted walnuts: IN place of
the croutons substitute ½ cup salt and pepper walnuts.
• Variation with Garlic Croutons and Gruyere:
add several paper-thin slices of Gruyere to each salad. The buttery cheese,
the garlicky bread, and the strong greens make a stupendous combination.
Spinach is also delicious this way.
For the Poaching the eggs
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 large eggs
For the Salad
7 ounces dandelion greens white stems trimmed, rinsed & dried
7 ounces bacon rind removed cut into pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons butter
1 large apple cut into 16 thin lengthwise slices
1 clove garlic peeled, diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Directions:
In a saucepan put 3 inches of water, add vinegar, bring to boil. Break one
egg into a small bowl. Adjust the heat so the water is at a rolling boil,
and slide the egg into the spot in the water where the bubbles emerge from
the bottom of the pan. Do not crowd the pan, but add eggs as they will fit,
reduce heat and simmer the egg until the whites are solid but the yolks are
soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the egg and transfer toa bowl of very warm
salted water so they will stay hot. Cook the remaining eggs.
Tear the dandelion greens into bite size lengths and place them in a
heatproof bowl. Cook the bacon in a medium size skillet until brown stirring
frequently. While the bacon is browning melt butter in a skillet until
sizzling hot, add the apple slices and sauté until slightly golden and
nearly soft through 3-4 minutes. When the bacon is golden, drain off all but
3 tablespoons of fat and add the garlic cooking about 1 minute. Stir in the
vinegar, scraping all the browned bits. Pour the bacon and its cooking
juices over the greens, and toss until al the ingredients are thoroughly
combined. Add the apple slices and their cooking juices and toss quickly.
Then season with salt and pepper. If it doesn’t have enough vinegar sprinkle
a bit more on. Divide the salad among four warmed plates, drain the eggs and
top each salad with a poached egg. Serve.
For the Soup
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion or leek diced
1 medium carrot diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cups turnip or dandelion greens, trimmed and rinsed
2 cups arugula leaves trimmed and rinsed
1/2 pounds spinach leaves and stems rinsed (or beet greens)
2 cups chervil leaves or young plants
About 7 cups of water
1 tablespoons sea salt
For the Toast
6 slices Tuscan or country bread, cut in half crosswise
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
Place oil, onion, carrot and celery in a large heavy soup pot over
medium heat and sauté just until the onion turns golden, about 10
minutes. Add the turnip greens and arugula; stir and cook until they
soften and wilted about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach cover and cook
stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted and turns bright
green, about 6 minutes. Add the chervil, stir, and then add enough of
the water to cover the vegetables. Stir in the salt, cover and cook
until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Continue cooking
partially covered until the vegetables are completely tender, about 20
minutes more. Adjust the seasoning.
Toast the bread and gently rub it with the garlic. Place each slice in a
warmed shallow soup bowl and drizzle each with 1½ teaspoons oil. Ladle
the soup over the toast and serve immediately.
Dandelion Greens Omelets
3 ½ ounces dandelion greens (three cups loosely packed) rinsed patted
dry and trimmed
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
Sea salt and black pepper
4 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/8inch deiced pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic; peeled and finely chopped
Cut the dandelion leaves if they are very long, but leave the base of
each plant intact
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs the water just until blended.
Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside. Sauté the bacon in
a large shallow skillet or omelet pan over medium heat until it is
cooked and tender but not too crisp, 4-5 minutes. If the bacon is very
fatty, drain off the fat, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the
skillet. If it is not fatty enough, add the olive oil. Add the garlic to
the skillet and cook stirring until it begins to turn translucent, about
2 minutes. Then add the dandelion greens and cook until they are wilted,
about 3 minutes. Pour the eggs over the dandelion greens and bacon, as
the eggs cook pull them away from the edge toward the center. Cover the
omelet with a large lid and let the omelet cook until it is nearly solid
on top, about 2 minutes/ the top of the omelet should still be slightly
runny.