I had never eaten dandelion greens before but on the advice of my brother who is an EXcellent cook I went for it. I jazzed it up quite a bit because I had heard the greens can taste bitter. So I used grape tomato halves tossed in some sweet fresh diced mango to complement any bitterness added some toasted pinenuts crumbled gorgonzola & did a simple balsamic/olive oil dressing. It was deLICious! Thanks John!
I too grew up eating this. Ours contained hard boiled egg and bacon with a oil and viniger dressing. It is still a rite of spring for me. For those who did not like the bitter flavor - note the greens must be young. Anything that has a flower bud (even small) - it is too old. Do try this if you never have!
I grew up eating this salad; I loved it then and I love it now. My mom would get up early in the morning to pick the tender leaves from the backyard. She would then make a sweet warm bacon dressing that did a nice job of offsetting the slight bitter flavor of the greens. Thanks John good stuff!
I love a simple green salad that allows the flavor of the greens to stand out on their own. I love dandelion greens (they're not for everyone!) & simply adding the onions & tomatoes are more than enough to make a delicious salad. The dried basil is a nice touch and a great subtle flavor addition. I enjoyed this with my own simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing recipe & it hit the spot. If you want to help tone down the bitter flavor of the dandelion greens just soak them in some salted cold water for 5-10 minutes. Then drain & dry before making the salad. Thanks for sharing this recipe!:)
Just remember you must harvest the greens before they blossom or the greens will be bitter!!!!!!
Brought back great memories of my Italian father picking dandelions from the yard! He would saute' in olive oil garlic salt and pepper. I thought it was so weird to eat "weeds" but through him I learned to love them!
I guess a prerquisite would be that you would have to like dandelions. Very bitter.
Who eats weeds? Were you raised in a shed? Those were my first thoughts when this I first read. But this bizarre bowl of grass it turns out is first class! Fit for a queen in a king-sized bed.
I've tried to eat dandelions over and over again - I kept thinking I must be doing something wrong. I first ate them as a child when my mom would pick them from very young plants and make a salad similar to this but with oil and vinegar dressing. I didn't like it then and I still don't care for it. Darn things are bitter. I know they're good for you - but you have to eat them to get the benefit of that goodness and I just can't. Sorry. At least I gave it one star - for the memories. My mom kept a basket and a knife in the trunk of the car and would stop and pick dandelions from farmers fields when she was out in the country - she thought they were a big prize! This was back in the middle ages - in the 1950's and 60's!
