In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Isn't it from the French - "Dent de lion" - lion's tooth???.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In my rural parts (!), they cook them as a vegetable, like spinach. Use the leaves in polpette (potato cakes) and torta di vedure i.e cooked. The trick may be to 'squeeze' the juice out of the leaves after cooking. I wouldn't eat them raw. You might get tummy ache. :sad:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Nielo;112646]I meant to buy rocket for a salad yesterday but I seem to have got dandelion by mistake. The leaves are really bitter and I was intending to have it as a side salad with Lasagne. Are there any tricks to make it more palatable and less bitter?[/quote]
According to the 'Silver Spoon' dandelion (catalogna) is only ever eaten cooked, however you can use young leaf tips as a salad (puntarelle). You remove the tough outer leaves, leave the hearts intact and cut into strips. As has been said it is a diuretic but apparently helps to purify the system, protects the liver and acts as a tonic.
There are 2 recipes re cooking although it does also say it can be served hot with salt,oil and vinegar or lemon juice. You need to allow about 200 g per person.
Dandelion with garlic and olive oil : cook 1 kg of strips in salted, boiling water for 15 mins, drain & squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Heat oil in a frying pan, add 4 garlic cloves and cook until golden brown, remove and discard. Add the dandelion to the frying pan, increase the heat and cook for abour 15 mins. Season to taste with chilli or pepper. Serves 4.
Dandelion with parmesan : cook 750g of strips in salted boiling water for 15 mins. drain and squeeze out as much liquid as poss. Chop coarsely and put on a warm serving dish, melt 65g of butter and pour over the leaves, sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of parmesan. Serves 4
Enjoy!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Ah well I read earlier that indeed they are eaten in salads. Maybe make a French salad dressing/vvinaigrette - ie olive oil, wine vinegar and mustard, herbs, spices. If still too bitter add a little sugar or honey to the dressing.
I also found this and there are quite a few to be found online in the usual spot.
Dandelion Salad
"This is a very good use of all those annoying dandelions growing in your yard. Just so long as you don't have a dog! Top with your favorite dressing. I prefer hot bacon dressing!"
INGREDIENTS
225 g torn dandelion greens
0.5 red onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
0.4 g dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, toss together dandelion greens, red onion, and tomatoes. Season with basil, salt, and pepper.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Sally Donaldson;112649]Isn't it from the French - "Dent de lion" - lion's tooth???.[/quote]
Sorry, I missed the thread yesterday, I have been in bed with a terrible bronchitis.
Anyway, Sally, you are right, dandelion comes from the French "Dent de lion" and in Spanish it is called "Diente de leon".
It is very popular in herbal medicine and infusions are used for problems with the liver and the gall bladder.
As it has been pointed out, it is quite bitter and only the very young leaves can be used for salad mixed with other greens.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
If its like Bietta (?) Neilo, which is akin to what we used to call chard, I love it but it doesnt love me!, the small bunches of spinach though are very good, just steamed and served hot, or cold with an olive oil dressing, and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice.
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In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In this area 'dandelion' is a popular salad leaf. But it is [U]most[/U] popular at Easter when the new tender 'baby' leaves are collected in great quantities to often be eaten in a salad with hard boiled eggs, a little finely chopped garlic(as JC says) and dressed with a good EVOO and a little balsamic... yum!
These baby leaves are known here as [I]'insalata matta'[/I] (mad salad). My garden is a jungle - and will be until my neighbours (can afford to) finish building their house - and the locals ask me if they can collect the dandelion leaves as their gardens are mostly well kept!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Dandelions have become a popular vegetable in the USA. They tend to vary with regard to how bitter they are. If you would like to eliminate the bitter flavor all you need to do is to boil the dandelions first before frying them. During the boiling process you do not need to use a great quantity of water but change the water twice during the cooking (e.g., boil in a bit of water, replace water, boil again, replace water, boil again). Then fry. A bit more time and effort but this should do the trick.
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Worth noting that dandelion is a diuretic, which explains its (very) common name of pee-in-bed