Ahhh the lowly dandelion,, just taken and tossed aside like a,,, weed? Well let me help in changing your minds. Just a little? The dandelion is packed with vitamins A and C. It has iron and is an excellent source of calcium. It is a diuretic, a liver tonic, blood purifier and also just tastes plain good when prepared the right way. The dandelion is way better for you than spinach will ever be. So I went out yesterday and picked a big bowl full of the young leaves. If you do pick the big leaves, you know the ones where they are like a bush, don't throw them out, they make excellent tea. I took those greens and blanched them for just 2 seconds in salted boiling water. Let me clarify when I use salt i use sea salt, in everything. Then immediately dropped into cold water to stop the cooking process. I then took that glob and seperated it into 3. One for the nights dinner and 2 to be chopped and frozen for winter use, to keep the body healthy during our long winter time. So a few recipes you can make is a tea, which is the easy way to get your vitamins and minerals, or steam them and top with melted butter, salt, pepper and chives or leeks. Or go gourmet! Which is what I did. Dandelion Carbonara white cream sauce butter ( a few tablespoons) flour ( a few tablespoons) herbs from you garden (i used sweet marian, parsley, chives and the dandelion, salt) milk In a sauce pan melt the butter, add the flour, mix together until it looks almost dry. start to add your milk and mix until it gets nice and creamy but not to thick,, you will need to keep adding more milk because as it cooks it gets thicker and thicker. now add all the above or herbs of your choice, except the dandelion. Add that at the last moment, about 5 minutes before serving. Cook pasta of your choice. Fry bacon cut into small peices, and set aside. Now in the frying pan that you cooked the bacon in drain all grease if there is any. Add sweet red pepper, leek, carrots shredded and some frozen peas. Cook just until tender then add to the white sauce. Now add your bacon to the sauce or save and use as a topping. Add your dandelion greens all chopped up to the sauce and mix well. Lay your pasta on a plate and top with the sauce and you have Dandelion Carbonara. I served mine with baggettes that I topped with siersløk pesto (and onion/garlic plant that grows here) and cayenne sauce that i make. So heres dinner compliments of nature. Just think all those veggies outta your garden, and with help from nature. Its all free, and so good for the body, mind and spirit. You connect with the land and it feeds you. Take what it offers and give thanks for that. Dandelions will be bitter when they are old. The young leaves will have a very earthy taste but i found if mixed with an onion sort of somekind it takes that away.
Darn I just nuked all the dandelions in my garden. However, there are loads around the village so I'll take a look later and see what I can filch. I'm sure no-one will object to me pinching them somehow. :-D
That looks pretty good Biita, you've got me thinking. And I love ANYTHING Carbonara so I may just try this one! Lord knows there are plenty of them growing around here. I just won't tell the kids what they are eating until they are done. LOL
Biita, how do you go about doing tea? I heard your suppose to use the root, is that right? My hubby want me to ask also if you ever heard of fruit soup? His uncle from sweden used to make it, I guess.
I have the feeling you can make anything look appetizing, including weeds! Thanks for the great tips and recipes. I've heard about using dandelions, but never did. I grow a lot of spinach in my garden and use that in everything.
Thanks all, I use dandelions in place of spinach all the time,, i love spinach, but dandelions are free, better for you, and when cooked taste very simular. Like for instance, spinach balls, creamed spinach, spinach souffle, spinach banitza or a filo dough dish. I replace the spinach with dandelions, and you can not tell the difference at all. Plus your body is getting more benifit from it. Petunia, the root is sometimes used as a coffee substitute. You roast it then boil water and add it to that, let it boil for 15 minutes or so, then strain, and you have caffeine free "coffee". but the best times to do that is in the fall when the roots turn golden, then you can use them also like carrots. Frukt suppe,,hmmm,,its been a while since i've had that. I've never made it honestly, but i do remember my grandma made it 2 ways. one is with a carrot base. cooked carrots then pureed, then different fruits pureed and all mixed in. the other is pureed strawberries, with other fruits pureed and mixed in. but it was always served with sour cream for the topping on the soup. Maybe Droopy has another version, or better. All i know is its good! Lol,, you know when Josh asked what was for dinner and i told him,, he was the one who got the bowl out, and about hustled me out the door,, he loves the wild foods more than the, as he calls them "tame" ones,,,lol.
If I can ever remember to harvest the leaves instead of digging up the plants to throw away, I would like to try your recipe. I think I can slip it under Randy's 'grass clippings' radar..that's what he calls spinach, I can imaging what he would call dandelion leaves if he knew they were in the food. Can you share the recipe for Cayenne Sauce, that I think he would really like. Petunia, don't know if this is what your husband would like but I posted a Cherry Soup recipe several months ago, you could probably substitute other fruits or add them with the Cherries. Cherry Soup Recipe
Hey that soup sounds good,,,lol. I sneaked the recipe too! We used strawberries because cherries don't grow waayyy up north in Lappland/Vesterbotten. (i don't have all the swedish letters) but i will give that a try. Cayenne sauce is so simple Toni, its just cayennes and oil. thats it. you make it as hot or mild as you like by removing the white string thing, and some seeds. Chop them up then grind them or whip them up in a food processer,, i have one of the bullet gagets, that does everything but sing to you while it works. so something like that. then have clean sterile jars, fill and seal. water bath. and put away for future use.
Cherries don't grow this far south either but they do come frozen and the frozen ones are less than half the price of fresh when they are in season. So the amount of oil you use is determined by the thickness you want? Randy and his dad both like the hot stuff, bet they would both like this. Thanks for the recipe.
Sorry, I've never made fruit soup either. Your Dandelion Carbonara sounds delicious. I might be able to persuade my husband to try it.
I have only used dandelions in salads along with fiddleheads and mesclun. I have been missing out! Dandelion Carbonara sounds delicious.
Wow! Thanks for all the great suggestions and recipes. I have heard of dandelion wine in the past but had no clue of the "better for you than spinach" health benefits! I shall have to think twice next season about putting chemicals that I already am leery about all over my yard to kill them. Thanks again. Definitely going to try!
I love dandelion tea, a good diuretic, tis my most fave tea of all. I also sometimes have young dandelion leaves in salad, have never cooked them, but have cooked young nettle leaves in a similar way to use as a spinach substitute.
