Dandelion

Common Weeds

Dandelion is one of the common weeds which grow everywhere, in the garden, paddocks and any backyards. This weed is useful in cooking, the young ones are excellent for a fresh salad, or cooked like spinach.

Warm Dandelion Salad
Garnished With Crisp Pan-Fried Smoked Bacon

What is it?  Dandelion -a weed with toothed or pinnated leaves and yellow flowers, gathered in the fields from November to March (in Northern Hemisphere) Tender young dandelion leaves are eaten raw in salads.  They can also be cooked like spinach. (New Larousse Gastronomique)

I don' have trouble finding this weed in my backyard, especially now because of the rains,  they grow wild, but looking so green and fresh.  I could not help picking some for a salad. 

If you like bitter lettuces, such radicchio, endives, then you have no problems to loving this greens. To keep it clean in the yard, and easy to look after, pot it up, pick the young leaves as needed.

Fresh Dandelion

pick the young ones and wash thoroughly

dry them in a salad spinner

the small and young leaves are for salad

the large ones but young enough are for cooking

Warm Dandelion Salad

Some fresh young dandelion

2 Chicken liver, pan fried

1 red onion, lightly fry to soften but still crunchy

2 thin, lean bacon or smoked bacon,  pan-fried until crisp

The dressing:

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 juice of lime or lemon

a pinch of salt
(Mix all ingredients together)

To Serve: 

Place the dandelion in a salad bowl, add in the liver, the red onion

Pour in the salad dressing, toss them together gently

Garnish with the crisp bacon.  Serve straight away

It is not for everyone's salad, mainly if you don't eat liver; however, it is good to serve with goat cheese or ricotta. Put some dandelion leaves into a mesclun, then you have more varieties of flavour

A simple salad, have a try,  if you like it, you will think of this weed differently.

Sharing Today's Inspiration Reading

Pamper Yourself

In times of hurry and stress, learn to take long, slow,

deep breaths.  Inhale God's calm and peace and exhale

stress and tension.  Deep breathing relaxed the muscles

and refreshes the spirit.

8 May
________

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Until Next Post

Susy