dandelion italiano

dandelion italiano, a favorite of ours, was made last weekend for the first time this year. It is a tasty spring tonic food that clears out congestion by stimulating the appetite and making the rest of the digestive system, especially the gall bladder and liver, step it up. Taraxacum officinale cleans house in the body which is exactly what should happen in the Spring.

This is how I make it: Gather at least 3-4 cups of pesticide-free dandelion leaves. (Make sure you know how to identify dandelions before you even get started.) For this batch, I gathered about 7 or 8 cups of dandelion leaves, cutting the clumps at the base and leaving the roots to grow new leaves. Wash them really well and pick out the tiny bits of stray plant material that sneak in.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add the leaves and bring back to a boil. Strain immediately in a colander. You can collect this first water and sip on it while you continue or save it for soup. Then do the same process at least one more time. If it's later in the season and the leaves have turned bitter, I'll do this at least three times. But in early Spring, twice is just fine. After the last straining, let it cool down a little, give the leaves a good squeeze, and loosely chop.  Eleven cups of fresh leaves yield about one cup of squeezed dandelion but don't let that discourage you because a little goes a long way, flavor-wise.

Saute 6 or more cloves of chopped garlic in a little olive oil. Add the dandelion leaves and a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a tablespoon of tamari and 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Season more if needed and serve at room temperature.

This was for a potluck so I buttered some baguette slices as a carrier food, but you could serve it with any kind of cracker or on eggs or meats or even by the spoonful! My version is based on Susun Weed's original recipe.

Do you make any Spring tonic foods?

Also posted at Food Renegade.