Saturday morning I went to my garden to pick leaves and dandelion buds before they disappear from the garden! At this time of the year, these small invasive plants give themselves to the garden. They are resetting everything.
The leaves have a taste that is similar to that of a rocket, in addition to the wild of course. If you like salads that have a character or if you want to simply bring a touch of spice to your entry I advise you to try the dandelion leaves. Choose them small and young.
The buttons have a very sweet, floral and nutty taste. I had never eaten until then and it was a real discovery. You will have to look for those hiding at ground level, in the heart of the plant, to have the most tender and the tastiest.
Dandelion is harvested in early spring. The best time to consume is before flowering: the bud should be concealed at the base of the leaves. When the stem grows and the bud hatches, the leaves become more bitter (but remain edible).
It is a fragile salad, which must be consumed in two days and keep cool, whole, that is to say with its roots. Do not prepare it in advance: once the leaves are separated, they wither in a few hours. Worse still if they are bathed in a vinaigrette: dandelion salads are prepared by the minute and do not keep for the next day.
Picking 10 minutes - Preparation 10 minutes - Cooking 10 minutes
You need: 2 beautiful beets / 3 handfuls of spinach shoots / 3 handfuls of arugula / 3 handfuls of dandelion leaves / 3 tablespoons of dandelion flower buds / 1 handful of hazelnuts / 3 tablespoons of dandelions grapeseed oil / 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil / 2 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar / fleur de sel / pepper
- Go to the dandelion picking in your garden. Rinse under water (as all other leaves of course) and wring out.
- Rub the beets well and cook in the oven. Peel and slice.
- Crush the dandelion flower buds to open them. Chop the hazelnuts.
- Mingle in a salad bowl all the leaves. Add on the beets, dandelion buds and hazelnuts.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the oils with the vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle the salad. Enjoy it very fresh.