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As anyone who has been reading my posts for Planet Green already knows, I have a passion for local produce and I love to visit the farmers' market. I decided that this spring and summer, I'm not going to go to the market with any idea of what I want. I'm going to go and simply buy whatever is ready that week. Then I'll head home and figure out what I'm going to do with it. That way I'll be open to trying new things. as well as welcoming back old favourites.
With that in mind I picked up some organic dandelions last week. There is a pretty large Italian population in Toronto, and it isn't unusual to see women out with huge bags and long knives collecting tender dandelions in the spring. Italian cooking has a long history of using bitter vegetables such as rapini, arugula, radicchio, and, of course, dandelions. They are best early in the season before they get tough and the bitter flavour increases. You certainly can pick them yourself, but you have to be certain that you are picking them in an area where no pesticides are used.
I have had dandelions in restaurants, but I've never made them myself. These had a very delicate taste, but were a little bit stringy. I think I probably left too much of the stem on. I was making the recipe for two people, but even after cutting down on the amount of oil I found there was a bit too much. In any case they were very easy to make and it was nice to try something new.
Sauteed Dandelion Greens
3 pounds dandelion greens, tough lower stems discarded and leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1. Cook greens in a 10- to 12-quart pot of boiling salted water (3 tbs salt for 8 quarts water), uncovered, until ribs are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking and drain well, gently pressing out excess water.
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring, until pale golden, about 45 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, then add greens and sea salt and sauté until coated with oil and heated through, about 4 minutes.
Cooks' note: Dandelion greens can be boiled 3 days ahead. Chill, wrapped in paper towels, in a sealed bag.
From the April 2008 issue of Gourmet
Difficulty level: Easy
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