Description
A simple salad or side dish of dandelion greens is not only nutritious but a very unexpected dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1.5-2 pounds of dandelion greens (about 4 large bunches), ends trimmed
- 2 cloves of garlic, or a heaping teaspoon of toum
- 1/4-1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 3 lemons
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste, as well as to water*
Instructions
- Begin by sorting through your dandelion greens and remove any that may be browned or wilted.
- Place a large stock pot on the stove with water, 3/4 of the way full and allow to come to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to water.
- Next, trim the ends just about 1" or so to remove any browning.
- Once ends are trimmed, place your bunches of dandelion greens in a bowl of cold water, you may need to do this in batches. Allow to soak, working with your hands to remove any dirt and debris.
- Continue to clean 2 times until water is clear.
- Once your water is boiling, add your greens. Cook your greens for 15-20 minutes until the stems are soft and tender and the bitterness is gone. Don't be alarmed, the water will be a brown color.
- Drain in a colander and allow to cool slightly before handling to squeeze excess water.
- Meanwhile, prepare your dressing.
- In a bowl, smash your garlic by using a mortar, garlic press or mince finely.
- To your bowl add in 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/3 olive oil and a teaspoon of kosher salt* and whisk - once you add your greens you can adjust to taste with additional lemon juice.
- Once your dandelion greens have cooled enough to handle, with your hands gather a bunch and SQUEEZE until all the excess water is removed. Continue until you have all the greens dried.
- I like to chop my greens at this point to make them a bit smaller - then toss into your dressing.
- Mix well and adjust to taste - more salt or lemon as needed.
- Enjoy room temperature or cold, we love with pita bread!
Notes
*If you are using salt other than kosher salt, make sure you HALF the amount