Sometimes inspiration grows from a simple question. In my case the simple question was, “What would dandelion greens be like if you massage them?”
I had already been happily surprised by how much a massage brings out the sweet, friendly side of kale. Massaged kale makes salads that are robust but smooth, much more inviting than the rude kale just out of the garden. What might happen if you massage dandelion greens?
They transform. The once bitter dandelions become sweet, dark and subtle. They are a complement to almost anything you might want to put with them. When the first salad was so tasty, I set out to try something different every day.
How do you get the greens into this delicious state? In an earlier diary, I described how to harvest and wash dandelions. For even easier use, I wash the rosettes three or four times, store in the frig until wanted, and just rip off the leaves an inch or two above the base. This eliminates the need for a salad spinner.
Massaging is simple: lay those leaves on a cutting board, drizzle with oil (I’ve been using roasted sesame oil), and massage the greens as if they were a friend’s back. Grab firmly, roll, twist — you get the idea. After a minute or two (the leaves will change color to a deeper green) I slice them thinly to give small pieces — this is mostly to make the midribs more pleasant.
From there only your imagination is the limit. These were all with leftovers or things I had handy in the kitchen. The quinoa isn’t essential, but we have some cooked on hand usually to add into things. Rice would also do. White beans might be nice, too.
The only one of these that remotely has any technique associated with it is the avgolemono soup, which I recently discovered is Greece’s gift to civilization, or at least to tasty nutritious food. The base is broth brought to a boil and turned off. While the broth comes to a boil prepare the egg-lemon mixture: a tablespoon of lemon juice to an egg, multiplied by however many you want. Whisk the egg and lemon together and temper it (this is the subtle part). To temper it, turn the heat off under the broth and add a small amount of hot broth to the egg lemon mixture, whisking it in. Do this several times until you have a warm dilute egg-lemon mix. Add to the broth and stir in.
Now your lawn can be your secret tool to fight global warming while improving your nutrition. Enjoy!