Re: Dandelion greens?

[Guest guest]

>Anyone know how to cook these? Do I need to boil first to tenderize?

>

>TIA,

>

>

There are probably recipes on the web, but I just boil them like

spinach. The hard part is that ours grow in with other stuff and

it's hard to separate out the grass etc. This year though the

ducks have decimated the dandelions from the lawn.

If you want to be gourmet, you place a pot over the dandelion plant

for a few days so the leaf " blanches " ... loses color. That will

make it less bitter when you cook it.

Also, for you wild gourmets ... in the Nortwest this is a good

time to go hunting for fiddlehead ferns to sautee. Really yummy!

A " fiddlehead " isn't a species: it's any fern plant that is tender

and still coiled up. The big ostrich ferns that grow around here

though make outrageous fiddlehead saute'. They freeze well too.

Just avoid the ones that are " hairy " ... the hairy ones are just

kind of weird to eat.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

>

> >Anyone know how to cook these? Do I need to boil first to tenderize?

> >

If you're happy to use garlic, you could try cooking a little bit of garlic

in butter and then adding the dandelion leaves (or any other greens). My

son loves greens cooked this way.

You could also try cooking some mustard seeds in butter, add a little bit of

cumin and fenugeek once the seeds start popping, then added your chopped

greens. Cook then for a few minutes and then add yoghurt before serving.

However, I think the fenugeek is something you need to avoid for at least

the first three months of pregnancy.

[Guest guest]

>

> Anyone know how to cook these? Do I need to boil first to tenderize?

>

> TIA,

>

>

Hi, .

In Greece, dandelion greens are eaten quite a bit.

My parents have always told me that the more bitter the dandelion, the

better it is for you.

However, bitter greens are pretty tough on the palatte.

We usually boil them with just a little water on the bottom of the pan, not

a full pot of water.

Like you said, boiling tenderizes them, and when they are done, the liquid

left in the pot can be used as a tea that's supposed to be good for you.

For a dressing, we usually add extra virgin olive oil and either red wine

vinegar or lemon. The acidity in the vinegar/lemon helps to cut down on the

bitter taste of the dandelion.

I remember reading somewhere (not sure exactly where but it might have been

on the WAP site) that bitter greens are good for the digestive system by

helping stimulte bile flow from the gall bladder.

Enjoy,