Anybody else eating dandelion greens for dinner tonight?

[beethoven]

Me: bacon, cider vinegar, salt and pepper, a little cornstarch, just like Grandma. You?

[nomadchowwoman]

Yes, we will be. I usually saute in olive oil and garlic w/ a bit of pancetta and some onion, lots of black pepper, and then refresh w/a few squeezes of lemon, but now I'm thinking maybe I'll try some cider vinegar. I love them.

[eclectick6n2]

My mother and I went in pursuit of "greens" every Spring. We collected polk, both types of plaintain dock, lambs quarter and a number of others to include the dandelions. We blanched them and sauteed them in butter and away we went. It was so much fun to collect them and then of course apply fork.MMMM. I became a botany major. Go figure.

[mbe]

sauteed: cider vinaigre, garlic, olive oil, salt, coarse paprika, pinch of sugar. Or if they're salad worthy then with a creamy caper vinaigrette.
Am loving radish greens too, they're like a present that come with your radishes.

[NancyHT]

I tried some last night for the first time. Sauteed them with olive oil and lemon juice, then stirred in some cream cheese. I do this with spinach and kale. It was delicious but they were a bit stringy and chewy. I can never seem to get them cooked to the point of just wilting, they always go too far and continue to wilt after I take them off the heat!!

[corneygirl]

Blanched, drained dress with red wine vinegar. Put on pizza w/ caramalized onions and blue cheese.

[Gio]

I grew up eating dandelion salad preferring that to cooked dandelions. We were able to pick the fresh Spring greens right from our lawns. No fertilizer was used and there were no animals to worry about.. at least as far as we could tell. My mother used to say, "Bitter in the mouth, sweet in the stomach." I suppose that made her feel better about serving the very homely greens to us. But, truth to tell, I loved the salad then and I still do. Just the greens - especially the tiny leaves from the center and the little unopened sweet buds, well washed, seasoned with salt & pepper, very good olive oil and red wine vinegar.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, dandelion greens are a sure sign Spring is here; my favorite style is sautéed in olive oil with onion, garlic, a little anchovy paste, crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

I like your bacon/cider vinegar idea as well.

A really nice way to prepare them is sauteed in olive oil and dressed with balsamic vinegar, chopped hazelnuts, garlic and crushed pepper.

Also nice with Italian sausage, as in sausages and broccoli rabe, with fresh basil. Just sub dandelion greens.

I remember, when I was about 9, my Mom telling me that dandelions were edible, not just weeds, and I tried one straight from the lawn, :-00! So, Mom cooked some up, Italian style, (for my Dad) and they were pretty good. Remember, I was young and didn't enjoy the bitter tang so much. I do now.

Here's an older thread on the same subject:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4488...

[Perilagu Khan]

The Khantessa made a dandelion salad the other night. Unleavened with other milder greens, it was a bit bitter for my tooth.

[EricMM]

I buy dandelion all the time...mainly to feed my tortoise. But I do occasionally cook with them, usually sauteed with garlic, anchovy, and hot pepper in olive oil. Also good as an addition to a pasta sauce as a more assertive alternative to spinach.