Dandelion Recipes
It may seem strange but it is indeed quite customary to eat dandelions! I was somewhat perplexed when I found this out, so I looked into this mysterious ingredient and found some ethereal recipes.
Pumpkin-Dandelion Soup
Prepare in advance:
1 large handful Dandelion greens:
Chop leaves into bite-sized pieces. Cook in boiling water until tender. Pour off water and taste. If they seem too bitter for your taste, boil again and strain.
1 small pumpkin:
Bake whole pumpkin on baking sheet at 350° for 1 hour or until completely soft, so that you can put a fork or knife easily through it. Let cool. Cut in half and discard seeds. Rind will peel easily.
1 medium to large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
6 cups water
4 cups mashed pumpkin, prepared as above
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp nutmeg
1½ tsp salt
1. Sauté onion and garlic in oil or butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot.
2. Add 6 cups water
3. Add dandelion greens and pureed pumpkin to soup. Stir well.
4. Add salt. Cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Just before serving add 1 cup heavy cream and ½ tsp nutmeg.
Dandelion Chai
Chai is a Middle Eastern word that means “tea” but here in America we’ve adapted the term to mean a very spicy tea made with milk and sweetener.
1 cup roasted Dandelion root
6 Tbsp Fennel or Anise seed
36 green Cardamom pods
72 Cloves
6 Cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp dried Ginger root
1½ tsp black peppercorns
12 Bay leaves
1. Add 1 Tbsp tea mixture for each cup of water.
2. Simmer 5 minutes, then let steep for 10 minutes.
3. Add 1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar (or dandelion syrup) per cup.
4. Add 2 Tbsp milk or cream per cup.
5. Gently reheat and serve.
Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee Ice Cream
Here’s a recipe for the really adventurous from the Herbfarm :
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ¼ cups sugar
5 egg yolks
1. Grind Roasted Dandelion Roots roasted Dandelion roots into a powder using a coffee mill and sifter.
2. Place cream, half-and-half and sugar in a medium pot (double boiler might be best, or perhaps a crock pot). Bring it just barely to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add Roasted Dandelion Root powder. Maintain heat at a bare simmer, be sure not to boil.
4. Let the roots steep this way for 45 minutes.
5. Strain out and discard root material.
6. Whisk up egg yolks in another pot. Gradually add the warm Dandelion Root cream.
7. Heat gently and stir until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
8. Strain one more time and chill.
9. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to directions.
References
2. Youtube