How could I have known as a kid that by popping off “heads” of dandelions or by rubbing their flowers on my skin staining it yellow that I was playing with my food. Granted it took me roughly 27 years to take my first bite. A member of the daisy family, those rebellious yellow specks dotting buzz cut lawns are an ancient healing herb. There are many health benefits of eating dandelion. Some french call it ‘pis-en-lit’ because it’s a diuretic that can cause you to ‘wet-the-bed.’ Maybe it’s a good thing I waited until adulthood to try it.

Needless to say I bought dandelion greens and wanted to get health benefits of them raw, but I know they’re not easy to eat raw. The ‘lion’ in dandelion comes from the points on their leaves. They are hearty greens like kale or collards. It’s spring and I’m craving pesto so pesto I made. Unfortunately I had no flowers to eat, however they too are edible. Be weary of just pulling them from the ground and eating them. Who knows if someone (or something) sprayed them and with what.

The pesto turned out perfect. A slight bitter bite but with quite a mild and balanced result. I used the salty tangy Pecorino Romano and a mix of pine nuts with pumpkin seeds. It’s important to put the lemon in first because oil stops the greens from absorbing the acid of the lemon. If you’re worried about the intensity of dandelion greens you can sub out some for something like parsley or arugula. The recipe I made was an adaptation of one from kitchn.

 

RECIPE

 

¼ C. Pumpkin Seeds, hulled and unsalted

½ C. Pine Nuts, unsalted

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed and roughly chopped

¼ C. Grated Pecorino Romano

2 C. Dandelion Greens, thoroughly soaked and washed

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

½ C. Cold Pressed Olive Oil

Black Pepper, to taste

½ Tsp Kosher Salt

 

> Preheat oven to 350. Spread pumpkin seeds and pine nuts on tray and toast for 5-6 minutes until aromatic. Let cool.

> Pulse toasted pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor until chopped fine.

> Add pecorino, dandelion greens, and lemon juice and pulse again. Stop intermittently to scrape bottom and sides of food processor. Pulse until blended with a texture similar to a paste.

> After well blended slowly pour in olive oil while pulsing to make sure oil is well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

I like to let pesto sit a bit before I serve it. The pesto will keep for about 5 days in the fridge and can be served in a variety of different ways. Tossed into grains, on meat, in sandwiches, as a pasta sauce… etc etc.
ENJOY 🙂 Let me know how it went and if you made any improvements!

 

 

Dandelion Info Link: http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/dandelion-history.html

Source Recipe Link: http://www.thekitchn.com/fresh-summer-recipe-dandelion-pumpkin-seed-pesto-173211