Warm Asparagus-Dandelion Salad
/Eating more local, regional and sustainable food is one of the trends predicted for 2014. Foraging is among one of those trends. The first time I foraged food was in Switzerland while visiting a friend many years ago. Her parents took us on an afternoon dent-de-lion foraging excursion up in the mountains. Once back at home, her mom made a delicious salad with them. While I do not forage dandelions these days, comes spring, I look for them at farmers markets. I hope you do too.
Here is my version of that recipe (her included eggs), I substituted the eggs for the croutons, for crunch and color contrast. Dandelions tend to be bitter, so look for young unopened small leaves. The sweetness of the asparagus makes a really nice combination of flavors.
Ingredients
4 slices whole wheat or sprouted bread, crust removed, and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 slices organic uncured turkey bacon (use shiitake bacon for a vegetarian version)
1 bunch (about 1 lb) young dandelions preferably from a farmers market, tough stem removed, washed and dried and cut into bite size pieces
1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed, washed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch pieces
1 TB olive oil
Dressing
3 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar
5 TB extra olive oil
1 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper
1 TB parsley (optional)
1 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper
1 TB parsley (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400*F.
- Toss bread cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil (about 1 TB). Bake for about 15 minutes till crispy. Set aside and let cool.
- Cook bacon in a frying pan, till golden and crisp, then transfer to a cutting board, reserve any fat in skillet. Finely chop bacon .
- Using the same frying pan, heat olive oil and sautee asparagus for about 5 minutes, they should be crunchy.
- Make the dressing. Mix all ingredients. Whisk well.
- Divide dandelions into 4 plates. Top with some bacon, croutons, and finally warm asparagus. Drizzle with about 2 TB of dressing.
Serves 4