Salad with Dandelion Greens, Ricotta Salata and Toasted Almonds

Bitter greens with tangy, salty cheese and toasted almonds combine for a salad packed with complex flavors.  This is a Lidia Bastianich recipe based on a traditional Italian salad.  Italian Dandelion plants have proved truly remarkable, surviving hot and cold equally well with no pest problems and an amazing ability to quickly recover after being harvested.   The greens have a distinct bitter flavor that identifies Italian dandelions as a member of the chicory family, which includes favorites such as escarole, endive and radicchio as well as chicories more difficult to find in the U.S. such as Puntarelle and Barba di Cappuccino.   Italian cuisine has a unique appreciation for all these bitter greens, and this dandelion green salad gets it just right.

Ricotta Salata is an Italian sheep's milk cheese. The cheese, sometimes called dried ricotta, is pressed and dried before it is aged, giving the cheese an unusual, almost spongy texture and concentrating the salty, tangy flavor.  This bright-white cheese is fairly dense but still soft, and is wonderful with salads, pastas and even flatbreads.  To create perfect shavings, chill the cheese well first and then use a vegetable peeler.

Salad with Dandelion Greens, Ricotta Salata and Toasted Almonds 

Ingredients

1           lb        freshly picked dandelion greens, washed, thick stems 
                       removed, and roughly chopped
6           Tbs     olive oil
1/4        cup     almond slivers
2           Tbs     red-wine vinegar
1           tsp      honey
                       Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/4         lb      ricotta salata, shaved when cold using a vegetable peeler

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350° and spread almond slivers on a sheet pan.  Toast until golden and fragrant, 5 - 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside, turn off oven.
2. Combine olive oil, 2 Tbs almond slivers, vinegar and honey in food processor or blender until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper. 
3. Toss dandelion greens with dressing, season again with salt and pepper.  Top with remaining almonds and ricotta salata.

Printable Recipe

Salad with Arugula, Dandelion Greens and Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Here is another salad celebrating the bitter greens that are abundant in our garden right now.  Italian dandelion greens are a particularly remarkable vegetable; the more we harvest, the more the plants produce.  The leaves range from small and delicate to over eighteen inches long.  Although the seeds were started last September, the plants are still full and healthy, promising many more months of productivity.  The arugula, on the other hand, is starting to sprout lots of little white flowers, a lovely site in the garden but also a sign that these plants will need to be replaced soon with new arugula for the spring and summer.   With its bitter flavor and popularity in Italian food, we have often wondered if arugula, like dandelion greens, is in the chicory family.  We have not found any mention of a connection, but if you have any information in this regard, please share it with us. 

Arugula and dandelion greens are both bitter, but their flavors are quite distinct.  Anyone who has eaten arugula freshly picked from the garden will not confuse its taste with anything else, while the dandelion greens offer a more subtle kick.  Nevertheless, they combine surprisingly well in a salad.  Blood oranges are used here in both the dressing and the salad itself to both temper and enhance the flavors of these greens.  Sauteed porcini mushrooms and parmesan cheese are added at the last minute to add a creamy finish and depth to the salad.  The colors are also spectacular here -- red-ribbed greens, deep orange fruit, and creamy shaved parmesan cheese -- making this the perfect choice if you're looking for a quick salad that is sure to impress.

Salad with Arugula, Dandelion Greens and Blood Oranges
makes two meal-sized portions or 4 to 6 side dishes

Ingredients

Blood Orange Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2            cup          blood orange juice (from about 4 oranges)
1               Tbs          shallots, finely chopped (about 2)
1               tsp           Dijon mustard
1               tsp           sugar
1               Tbs          sherry vinegar
1               cup          olive oil
1/4            tsp           sea salt
1/4            tsp           black pepper

Salad

2               Tbs          olive oil
4               oz             king porcini mushroom, thinly sliced
1/4             tsp           red pepper flakes
2                cups         arugula
1                cup          dandelion greens
1/4             cup          red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 onion)
1                                blood orange, peeled and segmented
                                  parmesan cheese thinly sliced
                                  sea salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure

Dressing

1. Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.  When well-combined, slowly whisk in olive oil in a steady stream.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Salad

1. Saute porcini and red pepper flakes in olive oil with salt and black pepper to taste over medium-high until tender.  Remove from heat.
2. Combine greens, onion and orange.  Toss with dressing to coat.  Divide onto 2 plates, then top with porcini mushrooms and parmesan shavings.

If you like this salad, try our Salad of Bitter Italian Greens, Strawberries and Parmesan
You may also like our Dandelion Green and Goat Cheese Empanadas

Salad of Bitter Italian Greens, Strawberries and Parmesan

Here in Houston we are straddling winter and spring.  Temperatures jumped to the 80's before we were hit by a dramatic cold snap that sent temperatures dipping down into the 30's.  The sudden cold weather had us scrambling to save our tomato, cucumber and eggplant seedlings, while the warmer temperatures sent our cool-weather greens into overdrive, with many plants all hitting maturity at once.  We are now harvesting gorgeous Lettuces, Chicories, Arugula, Kale, Swiss Chard and Asian Greens to name just a few.  The Cilantro, Dill, Parsley and Fennel are also amazing.

When local strawberries showed up at our market, we knew it was time to combine them with something from this abundant harvest. We created a seasonal salad which uses escarole (below), fennel and barba di cappuccino chicory (above) from the garden for a dish that is seriously bitter.  We love these bold flavors which play off the sweet strawberries and salty cheese to perfection.   The recipe makes a filling meal for two, but the salad is so pretty that it would also be a wonderful accompaniment to a main course.  Just be sure to pair it with an entree that has equally strong flavors.

Salad of Bitter Italian Greens, Strawberries and Parmesan

serves 2 as a meal

Ingredients

3            Tbs          minced shallot (about 1 shallot)
2            Tbs          fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1            tsp           red-wine vinegar
1/2         tsp           fine sea salt
1                            escarole head, torn into pieces
1                            barba di cappuccino head (or frisee or radicchio),
                              torn into pieces
1                            small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1/4         cup          olive oil
1/4         cup          parmesan, thinly sliced or shaved

1            cup          strawberries, washed and thinly sliced

Procedure

1.  Combine shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.  Slowly whisk in olive oil.
2. Combine greens and fennel in a big mixing bowl.
3. Toss greens with dressing to coat.
4. Divide between two plates, top with sliced strawberries and parmesan.

French Breakfast Radish and Mache Sandwiches

While clearing out the garden for spring vegetables, we discovered a row of French Breakfast radishes we had forgotten about.  The plants have been completely ignored since we started the seeds last September, but they have thrived nevertheless.   If you think of radishes as nothing more than a salad garnish, this recipe will open your eyes to the potential of radishes as the star ingredient.  With a great peppery flavor, crunchy texture and beautiful color, our radishes are incredible.  Here we combine the radishes with mache from the garden, another vegetable that has loved our long, cold (well, Houston's version of cold) winter.  One bunch of radishes and their greens combined with the mache makes a wonderful salad and sandwich.  Eaten together, an amazing meal celebrating the radish.

French Breakfast Radish and Mache Salad and Sandwiches
adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells


Ingredients

Dressing

1/2       Tbs             fresh lemon juice
1/8        tsp             sea salt
1/4        cup            1/2 and 1/2 or light cream
1           oz              finely minced green bunching onions or chives

Salad and Sandwich

3          cups           mache (photo above) or butter lettuce
8                            french breakfast radishes, washed,
                              thinly sliced, and leaves reserved
2          Tbs            unsalted butter at room temp
                              zest of 1 lemon
4                            slices pumpernickel bread
                              coarse sea salt

Procedure

1. Make dressing:  Combine lemon juice and salt well.  Add half and half and onions and blend well.  Season to taste.
2. Tear mache into bite-sized pieces.
3. Slice radishes into thin rounds.  Set aside one quarter of the radishes, then cut remaining radishes rounds into thin strips.  Finely chop the radish leaves.  Place radishes and leaves on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
4. Combine butter and lemon zest.  Add radish strips and chopped radish leaves and mash everything together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spread mixture on toasted rye bread slices.  Add radish rounds on top, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.

1. For the salad, combine remaining radish rounds with mache leaves.  Add dressing to lightly coat the greens.  Season with sea salt and serve.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Wild Chicory and Toasted Pecans

Our Wild Chicory has formed beautiful rosettes over the last month thanks to the chilly weather.  The name is misleading as this chicory is grown from seeds purchased from Nichols, and cannot be found growing wild anywhere here in Houston.  We started the seeds directly in the garden in August with a second round planted in October.    Despite the name, this chicory is very well behaved and we now have two thick rows of gorgeous greens.  Wild chicory is a wonderful salad green with its big leaves and mildly bitter taste.  We're not sure if it's commercially grown, so if you aren't cultivating wild chicory at home and can't find it at market, try arugula, escarole, dandelion greens or endive for this salad.  We combine the chicory with another of our favorite winter vegetables, Brussels sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with Wild Chicory and Toasted Pecans
serves 2 as an entree

Ingredients

Dressing

3             Tbs            olive oil
1             Tbs             white wine vinegar
                                  sea salt and black pepper to taste

Salad

1              lb              Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
                                 olive oil, sea salt and black pepper
1/2           cup            pecans
1/2           Tbs            butter
1/4            tsp            salt
2               cups          wild chicory
                                  (or however much you like)
1/8            cup           Grana Padano Stravecchio cheese, shredded
                                  or Parmesan, shredded

Procedure

1. Combine dressing ingredients, whisk well, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.  Spread pecans on sheet pan and bake until fragrant and a few shades darker, about 10 minutes.  Toss immediately in a bowl with butter and salt until nuts are well coated.
3. Preheat oven to 425°.  Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil to coat, then season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a sheet pan, cut side down, until soft and browned, about 15 minutes.
4. Trim chicory, then toss with the salad dressing.  Top with Brussels sprouts and pecans, then sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Serve while sprouts are still warm, or at room temperature. 

• If you like this salad, try our Brussels Sprout Salad with Marcona Almonds and Manchego Cheese
• Read more about Italian chicories in the garden and try our recipe for Focaccia with Chicory, Fingerling Potatoes, Rosemary, Gorgonzola Dulce and Pine Nuts