Dandelion pesto

[ong]

I've been making this since the weeds started going nuts in early spring. It's really pretty good -- different from a basil pesto, but similar to arugula or other bitter greens. You can vary proportions and ingredients, but my basic recipe is:

6-8 cups dandelion greens (leaves only, no stems or blossoms)
1/2 cup blanched almonds (other nuts work great, especially walnuts)
3 oz Parmesan, chopped or grated
1/2 cup olive oil, or more as needed
2-3 cloves garlic

Just whirl it all up in a food processor, until it's a smooth consistency. You might have to add greens in batches -- they'll reduce down as they get pulverized. Drizzle oil as you go, to get the right consistency.

Be sure you've triple-washed the greens, and pulled out any bits of grass, root, or stem. This recipe does freeze well if you add a bit more oil over the top to keep it from oxidizing too rapidly.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I like to mix the greens in a salad, but the flowers get dipped in egg, rolled in flour or cornmeal & fried till golden brown in a skillet. Mild flavour, but still tasty. I'll have to try your pesto recipe, it does sound interesting.
Regards, GF.

 

[liquiditynerd]

Excellent ideas both. I usually do the greens with just lemon juice and black pepper. I will try out both. And thanks, everyone else I know thinks I'm crazy for "eating my yard"

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Excellent ideas both. I usually do the greens with just lemon juice and black pepper. I will try out both. And thanks, everyone else I know thinks I'm crazy for "eating my yard"

Ha! I know what you mean, you should see some of the looks I get when I mention eating dandelions. Funny thing is, you can buy the greens in upscale grocery stores. Their eyes just glaze over when I tell them I like to eat nasturtium, thistle, sorrel & plantain...
More for me I guess.
Regards, GF.

 

[dinnerstick]

Their eyes just glaze over when I tell them I like to eat nasturtium, thistle, sorrel & plantain...

while we're at it, stinging nettle!
delicious

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Ha! I know what you mean, you should see some of the looks I get when I mention eating dandelions. Funny thing is, you can buy the greens in upscale grocery stores. Their eyes just glaze over when I tell them I like to eat nasturtium, thistle, sorrel & plantain...
More for me I guess.
Regards, GF.

It excites me that of those, I recognize only plantain and thistle. I've HEARD of sorrel, but I couldn't identify it.

We may have much to discuss.

As for dandelion pesto, I like the idea very much.

I especially like that you switched out notoriously expensive and difficult to work with pine nuts for the more pedestrian almonds.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Dinnerstick: I've only had young nettles in soup, but they were tasty.

Creamy: Thistle is kinda hard to deal with & I have to hike for a good sized one (bigger the better), but the stalk is what I eat. It has to be peeled to get rid of the spikes, but it's nice & crunchy, kind of like celery intexture, with a mild flavour. Makes for a refreshing trail snack & goes great in a salad or a stew.

Common plantain (not the banana) leaves are kind of chewy, but I like 'em in a salad. Sorrel is great in a salad! Nice & tart. They taste a lot like shamrocks, tart, but not exactly lemony, though you do get an impression of citrus in the flavour. You should be able to find seed & grow some in pots. Just don't pig-out on sorrel, it has oxalic acid & that can be toxic in large amounts.
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-sorrel.htm

You can find seed here:
http://www.seedsofchange.com/quickfacts.aspx?c=9696&cat=624#ad-image-ProductDetail1_aFirstImage

And for the nasturtiums, I just grow 'em in pots & add the flowers to salads for some interesting color & flavour. They're a bit peppery in flavour. Sometimes you can find them dried in upscale grocery stores. Google nasturtium recipes & you'll get lots.
Regards, GF.

 

[Goofynewfie]

Fiddle heads aka ostrich fern was something I always had as a kid

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Fiddle heads aka ostrich fern was something I always had as a kid

In New York they became this huge fad for a while where you couldnt get a plate at a nice restaurant unless it had fiddleheads in it! Lol.

I like them though. Expensive... but tasty.

 

[Goofynewfie]

Lol,they grow wild where I grew up

 

[ong]

I've been growing a really nice (cultivated variety) sorrel in a corner of a raised bed on my parking strip for a couple of years. It has a great, unripe strawberry kind of tartness to it, much like wood sorrel (although it's a larger-leafed variety). It's very sour, but good braised or mixed with other greens in a salad.