Dandelion & Crispy Bacon Salad (Tomo Jeseninik)
The English name, dandelion, is a corruption of the French dent de lion meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves. The plant is also known as blowball, witch's gowan, milk witch, yellow-gowan, Irish daisy, monks-head, priest's-crown and wild endive. The English folk name "piss-a-bed" (and indeed the equivalent French "pissenlit") refers to the strong diuretic effect of the plant's roots. Dandelions are found on all continents and have been gathered for food since prehistory, but the varieties cultivated for consumption are mainly native to Eurasia. They are often blanched to remove bitterness or sauteed in the same way as spinach. Dandelion leaves and buds have been a part of traditional Slovenian, Sephardic, Chinese, and Korean cuisine. In Crete, Greece, the leaves of a variety called Mari, Mariaki or Koproradiko are eaten by locals, either raw or boiled, in salads. Taraxacum megalorhizon, a species endemic to Crete, is eaten in the same way; it is found only at high altitudes and is called pentaramia. The flower petals, along with other ingredients, usually including citrus, are used to make dandelion wine. Dandelion was also traditionally used to make the traditional British soft drink dandelion and burdock, and is one of the ingredients of root beer. Also, dandelions were once delicacies eaten by the Victorian gentry, mostly in salads and sandwiches. Dandelion leaves contain abundant vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C and K, and are good sources of calcium, potassium, iron and manganese. Historically, dandelion was prized for a variety of medicinal properties, and it contains a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. Dandelion is used as a herbal remedy in Europe, North America and China. It has been used in herbal medicine to treat infections, bile and liver problems and as a diuretic.
Slovenian
Type of Dish Salad
Ingredients
- 250 g (½ lb) dandelion leaves
- 90 g (3 ounce) smoked bacon
- 2 large potatoes (washed, skin on)
- 4 eggs
- 15 ml (1 Tbsp) white wine vinegar
- 45 ml (3 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- to taste sea salt
- to taste black pepper
Preparation
- To make vinaigrette, Whisk the oil and vinegar together and season with salt and pepper.
- Boil the potatoes and hard boil the eggs. Cut dandelion leaves into bite sized pieces. Peel and slice potatoes, and mix with dandelion leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
- Slice bacon into lardons and sauté until crispy, drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Scatter bacon over dandelion salad, dress with vinaigrette.
- Poach the eggs in boiling salted water with a 1 tsp of vinegar, place one egg on top of each salad and serve.
Further Information
Yield 4
Preparation Time is approxmiately 30 minutes.
Cooking Time is approxmiately 20 minutes.
