Ok. Here's the contents of one of my wild food files for Dandelion:
(You may be sorry you asked - it's kinda large).
Dandelion Soup
2 qt. dandelion greens, loosely packed
2 qt. chicken soup (any kind)
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbsp. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 Tbsp. minced onions
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. sour cream
Bring chicken soup to a boil.
Add dandelions.
Cook gently.
Rice or fine noodles can be added (1/2 cup rice or 1 cup noodles).
Make tiny meat balls out of remaining ingredients.
When greens are tender, add meatballs and cook gently 10 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
Serve hot with crusty French bread
Dandelion Jelly
1 qt. dandelion flowers
1 qt. water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 box Sure-Jell
Cook together for 3 minutes the flowers and water.
Strain and save juice.
Follow directions on Sure-Jell box using dandelion water.
Bring to a boil, then add 4 1/2 cups sugar and lemon juice.
Fried Dandelion Blossoms
new blossoms on short stems
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
hot cooking oil
1 egg
1 c. flour
pinch of pepper
Pick new dandelion blossoms, those on short stems, and rinse well in cool, lightly salted water.
Cut off the stem ends close to the flower heads, leaving only enough to hold the petals together, because the stems and greenery are bitter.
Roll the dandelion flowers in paper towels to blot up the excess moisture, then dip each one in a batter made of 1 egg, beaten, with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.
Drop the batter-coated blossoms into deep hot fat (375 degrees) and fry until lightly browned.
Drain on absorbent paper;
Sprinkle with more salt, if needed, and serve at once as a hot hors d'oeuvre.
Dandelion Salad with Cooked Dressing
4 slices bacon, cut in small pieces
approximately 2 c. chopped new dandelion leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. cream or milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
Toss together chopped dandelion, chopped onion and fried bacon pieces.
Set aside.
In skillet warm butter and cream until butter melts.
Beat egg and then add salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar and flour.
Blend the egg mixture into the slightly warm cream mixture.
Increase heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Pour hot dressing over the greens and toss gently.
Serve at once.
Gather the dandelion leaves early in the spring before the plants flower or they will be bitter.
Dandelion Salad
4 c. chopped dandelion leaves
3 hard-cooked eggs
3 slices bacon
Dressing:
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar
2 c. milk or water
Wash and chop dandelion leaves.
Fry bacon, crip then crumble.
Remove bacon from drippings.
Dressing:
Mix together flour and salt; add egg, vinegar and water.
Stir until blended.
Add to bacon drippings in pan and cook until thickened.
Cool slightly.
Pour dressing over dandelion leaves and mix lightly.
Garnish with sliced or chopped hard-boiled eggs and crisp bacon pieces.
Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Dandelion Wine
1 qt. dandelion blossoms
1 gal. hot water
3 1/2 lb. sugar
2 lemons, cut up
2 oranges, cut up
Pour hot water over dandelion blossoms.
Let stand for 24 hours.
Strain in a jelly bag.
Heat juice again and add sugar, lemons and oranges.
Reheat, then put in a stone jar.
Let ferment.
Skim everyday for 6 or 7 weeks. Then bottle.
Dandelion Wine
1 qt. dandelion blossoms
4 qt. water
1/2 c. tepid water
1 yeast cake
1 lb. seedless raisins
3 lb. (6 c.) sugar
1 lemon
1 orange
Measure a quart of the dandelion blossoms, but do not use any of the stems.
Put them into a large saucepan with the water and boil for 30 minutes.
Pour through a strainer, then strain through a cheesecloth into a large pan.
When cool, add the yeast cake, dissolved in the tepid water, raisins, sugar, lemon and orange, cut into small pieces (including the skins).
Stir it everyday for 2 weeks, then strain and let settle for a day.
Now strain carefully through cheesecloth until clean.
Bottle and seal.
Boiled Egg Salad with Dandelion -Insalata di uova sode e tarassaco (Taraxacum officinalis)
4 boiled eggs
14 oz of tender dandelion rosettes
1 onion, chopped into rings
1 handful of chopped wild mint
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Cut the boiled eggs into coins, and place them in a salad bowl with the dandelion leaves, chopped onion rings. Add the mint and dress with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Dandelion Buds in Vinegar - Boccioli di tarassaco all'aceto (Taraxacum officinalis)
10 oz of small, closed dandelion flower buds
2 tbsp of salt
1 cup of vinegar
1 cup of dry white wine
2 garlic clobes
2 bay leaves
1/2 liter of olive oil
Cover the buds with salt and let them dehydrate for a couple of hours. Bring the vinegar, wine with the garlic cloves and bay leaves to a boil. Throw in the buds for a minute, then drain them and allow them to dry on a dish towel. Then put them in a jar and cover them with olive oil. Wait about a month before eating.
Golden Dandelion Blossom Waffles
( A Mother's Day Treat)
Combine the following in a large bowl and soak overnight:
2 c. whole millet
1/2 c. sunflower seeds (hulled) or walnuts
5 c. water
In the morning, drain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the soak water. Rinse under running water.
In a blender combine the following ingredients, half at a time. unless you have a Vita Mix or a large capacity blender:
drained and rinsed grain mixture
2 c. water
1 c. dandelion blossoms, with green sepals attached*
2 tsp. vanilla or butterscotch extract
1 to 2 tsp. coriander or spice of choice
2 tsp. baking powder
Blend to a smooth batter. Pour or ladle onto a preheated, greased waffle iron. Makes 2 plus large (4-section) waffles.
Variations:
For pancakes or muffins, reduce liquid. Bake muffins at 350 degrees
F. for approximately 20 minutes. Makes several batches of pancakes or about 1 dozen muffins. For a sweeter batter, replace water with fruit juice (pear, apple, white grape or pineapple work well). If more than half of the total liquid is fruit juice, omit baking powder and replace with half as much-1 tsp.- baking soda.
*Pick blossoms in full sun when they are fully opened. Look for the little "hog nose" in the center of the flower to get the freshest blooms. Shake or blow on them to "de-bug"--washing will remove nutrients (like protein from the pollen) and leave them soggy adding more moisture to the batter. Freeze some for use in other recipes, you can replace 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour in your recipe with dandy blooms. Puree them along with your liquid ingredients before adding.
Dandelions at Lindsay House
Saddle of wild rabbit and black pudding, with dandelion, wild cress and rosemary dressing.
An upbringing in the Irish countryside has made Michelin-starred chef Richard Corigan a natural fan of Forager.
serves 4
1 saddle of rabbit (boneless)
200g black pudding
6 slices of Serrano ham
60g wild dandelion leaves
a handful of rosemary
60g wild cress
2 tbsp of mustard
Maldon sea salt
100ml olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
stock syrup (½ pint of water, 150g of sugar)
100g spinach
Ask your butcher to bone out the saddle of rabbit, leaving you with two loins and two small fillets
Lay the rabbit flat on chopping board. Take black pudding and mould to the same size as the saddle and place between the loins. Put the fillets on top. Roll the rabbit in a sausage shape and take the serrano ham. Place around the rabbit. Roll in clingfilm and tie at both ends.
Remove excess stalk from dandelion leaves and wash in cold water. Wash cress. Drain separately and refrigerate. Blanch the spinach in boiling water. Pick the rosemary, remove the stalk and blanch it. Place in the blender with the mustard and spinach; gradually add the olive oil. Season, add lemon and syrup to taste.
Heat a pan with a film of oil. Remove the clingfilm from the rabbit and place in the pan on a moderate heat for around 6 minutes. Turn occasionally to have an even colour. Leave to rest on a tray for 3 minutes away from the heat. Keep pan juices. Dress the dandelion and cress with rosemary and mustard dressing. Slice rabbit and arrange 3-5 slices on each plate. Place the dandelion leaves on top. Spoon a little rosemary dressing over and finish by spooning pan juices around the plate. Season with salt.
· Lindsay House, 21 Romilly Street, London W1, 020 7439 0450
Green Friends by Pat Patterson
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
One of the worlds most loved and reviled plants, the dandelion is known throughout the world. It is a true cosmopolitan. Children love the Dandelion and puff its mane gleefully into the air. Herbalists rate it as one of the top ten medicinal herbs, and it has been so used since the 4th century in Egypt. Our common name comes from the French Dent de lion or Lions tooth, Latin Dens leonis. Other common names refer to its effectiveness as a diuretic, such as pissenlit. This plantmay have more common names in English than any other weed: fortune teller, ****-the-bed, blowball, doonheadclock, yellow gowan and priests crown among them. The Latin species name officinale refers to its place in the official Pharmacopoeia for centuries. It traveled to the Americas with the earliest travelers who brought it deliberately as a food and a medicine and accidentally as ballast. All parts of the plant may be used from the flower, symbolic of the suns force, to the tenacious root. It has a long list of culinary uses.
Dandelion beer, wine, coffee and tea grace a menu of dandelion soup,omelette with dandelion petals or buds, dandelion salad, stir-fried or
steamed dandelion leaf or root. The petals are a beautiful color point in a mixed salad as well. The bitterness of the mature plant is mild in the
very young or blanched plant. When using buds or petals, remove any sepals or green parts unless you like strong bitters. My rabbits stand up and
beg for their dandelion treats.Nutritionally the dandelion is a powerhouse.Naturally high invitamins A and C, the plant is very
good at assimilating minerals, particularly iron and copper. It is a rich source of pollen and nectar for bees and if blooming in an orchard will
draw the bees away from the tree flowers. 93 insects have been observed visiting the flowers. It is not a good neighbor to other low plants,
however. Its big leaves flatten out to smother competition, it depletes soil of elements and exhales ethylene tostunt neighboring plants.
When composted or made into a tea it is a top notch fertilizer-tonic for other plants. Commercial dandelion farms are big business in the US and
the cultivated dandelion is a common garden vegetable in many countries. On "fat" soil a dandelion can really thrive and become very
succulent.There are also special varieties of dandelion cultivars. Extracts of the plants and roots are used commercially to flavor ice cream,candy,
baked goods and soft drinks.The flowers release a yellow dye,the roots a magenta one.Here are just a few bits of dandelion folklore. To dream
of dandelions means ill fortune. If the fluff blows off when there is no wind, it is a sure sign of rain. To blow the seeds off the dandelion into the
wind is to carry ones thoughts to a loved one. In England children believe the floating seeds were fairies and to catch one brought good luck.
And now for all of you who pluck rather than poison your dandelions, a recipe.
Dandelion Soup:
2/3 colander of dandelion leaves
1 small onion
3 _ cups chicken stock
Gather the leaves in early spring or summer.
Tear the leaves from the bitter mid-rib, wash well and drain.
Melt butter in saucepan and add finely sliced or chopped onion.
Peel and dice potato and add to onion.
Cover and cook over low heat for 5min.
Add the dandelion leaves andcook covered for 5 min. more.
Stir in the stock, season and cook gently15 min.
Serve hot with crustyFrench bread.
Steve Brill recipes:
Dandelion saute
4 cups chopped dandelion leaves
3 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups grated wild or commercial carrots
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon of wine.
A few cloves of minced garlic
Optional: Black pepper to taste
1. Sauté the onions in the olive oil.
2. When soft, add the carrots, dandelions, garlic, wine and soy sauce.
3. Cook for 10-20 minutes until all the flavors meld.
Serves 4-6
Curried Dandelions
3 tbs. corn oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, or olive oil
9 cups young common dandelion leaves or other bitter wild or commercial greens
4-1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1-1/2 cups water
3/4 cup silken (the softest variety) tofu
2 tbs. mellow (light-colored) miso
1-1/2 tbs. lime juice
1-1/2 tbs. curry powder, or to taste
1. Sauté the common dandelion leaves and garlic in the oil 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, puree the remaining ingredients in a blender.
3. Add the puree to the dandelions, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
Serves 6
Dandelion Fried Rice
5 tbs. peanut oil
1 tbs. dark (toasted) sesame oil
2 cups common dandelion leaves, coarsely-chopped
2 small hot chili peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped, or 1/4 tsp. cayenne hot pepper, or to taste
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbs. fresh ginger, chopped
5 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
2 cups basmati brown rice or other brown rice
2-3/4 cups water (or 2-2/3 cups water if youre using a rice cooker)
2 tbs. tamari soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp. brown rice vinegar
Assemble all ingredients beforehand.
1. Stir-fry the dandelion greens in 2 tbs. of the peanut oil over high heat in a wok or frying pan, stirring constantly, 90 seconds.
2. Add the chili peppers, garlic, and ginger and continue stir-frying another 30 seconds. Remove from the wok and set aside.
3. Stir-fry the scallions and texturized vegetable protein in another 2 tbs. of the peanut oil 2 minutes, then remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the rice in the remaining peanut oil and the dark sesame oil 2 minutes.
5. Place all cooked ingredients and all remaining ingredients into a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 40 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed (or cook in a rice cooker until done.)
Serves 6-8
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Dandelions sesame
Very young dandelion leaves impart a bitter flavor that may be wonderful or terrible, depending on how you prepare and season them. The four other ingredients in this recipe optimize the dandelions flavor, and this simple side dish is equally good if you use very young wild chicory or very young wild lettuce leaves.
1-1/2 tbs. olive oil
7-1/2 cups (packed) of very young common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), wild or commercial chicory (Cichorium intybus), or wild lettuce (Lactuca species) leaves
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
3/4 cup sesame seeds
2-1/2 tsp. Braggs liquid aminos or tamari soy sauce
1. Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Immediately remove from pan and set aside.
2. Gently sauté the dandelion leaves and garlic in the olive oil 15 minutes, stirring often.
3. Stir in the Braggs liquid aminos and sesame seeds and serve hot.
Serves 6
Like the curries of India, Colombo is a traditional blend of herbs. Originating in Sri Lanka and Senegal, it migrated to the French Antilles islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. A Haitian friend described it to me, I applied it to wild dandelions in America, and I'm offering it to you. Simple!
Dandelions Colombo
2 tbs. peanut oil
6 cups dandelion leaves, wild or commercial chicory leaves, or other bitter greens, chopped
1 medium cauliflower, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 small hot chili peppers, seeds and ribs removed, or 1/4 tsp. cayenne hot pepper, or to taste
1 tsp. coriander, ground
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds, ground
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup silken tofu, drained
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 tbs. mellow (light-colored) miso
1/2 tsp. rum extract, or 2 tbs. rum or any wild wine or sherry (optional)
1. Sauté the dandelions, cauliflower, garlic, and chili peppers in the peanut oil 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, puree the remaining ingredients in a blender.
3. Mix the puree with the sautéed ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook another 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
Serves 6
I originally collected these from the internet for personal reference/use and it's no longer possible to credit many of the sources (unless where stated). So I will have to settle for giving my sincere thanks to the originators and apologies to them for not being able to do so. Should anyone recognise their work please let me know and I will add the appropriate accreditation and weblink to the original source.
