Dandelion Spring Salad

Hello, chefs! 😋

In our country, we say that spring arrives when we can enjoy a delicious dandelion spring salad for the first time. I don't know about elsewhere, but if you come to Slovenia somewhere in late March or early April and see people walking around meadows and fields holding bags or sacks or baskets, you will know that they are looking for dandelions.

But do you know dandelions? We call it 'regrat' here.

The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) grows in temperate regions of the world in lawns, and on roadsides, disturbed banks, shores of waterways, and other areas with moist soils. It's most often considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but the leaves, flowers, and roots are sometimes used in herbal medicine or as food.(Wikipedia)

As I have already mentioned, it is a healing and generally useful plant. Fresh dandelion leaves are used as food, in soups and salads. There is also dandelion syrup made from the flowers and powder made from the dried roots, both of which strengthen the body, aid metabolism, and help purify the blood.

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Well, today we're not going to dwell too much on the health benefits, but on the food. In fact, it really does grow like a weed and is considered the first dish of spring in our country, and everyone has been picking it for a couple of centuries. And the preparation is exactly the same, so I can say that this is really traditional.

We pick it in the garden and in the meadows nearby. When we pick it, it first needs to be cleaned well and washed with running water.

For one dish for 4 servings you need:

half a kilo of cleaned and washed dandelion leaves
two hard-boiled eggs
100 grams of bacon (I used pancetta)
200 grams of cooked beans
2 boiled potatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
a small piece of onion
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 deciliter (1 cup) vinegar (I use homemade apple cider vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

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First, cut the dandelion leaves in half, as they are quite firm (some people leave them whole). Then start adding, not necessarily in that order. Slice the hard-boiled eggs and add them on top of the dandelion, then the cooked beans, and then the cooked potatoes, which are again sliced or chopped into smaller pieces and added to the bowl.

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Switch on the stove and heat a frying pan to which add one teaspoon of olive oil and the sliced onion. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it, wait for it to melt, and add the sliced garlic cloves. Season with salt if necessary, I also add a good amount of pepper. When everything is fried, pour in one deciliter of apple cider vinegar and leave to simmer for a minute or so.
Of course, if you don't eat meat, you can skip the bacon and just sauté the onion and garlic.

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Now pour the hot dressing into the bowl with the dandelion and the other ingredients.

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Stir well so that the warm ingredients come into contact with the dandelion leaves and they soften a little, adding more olive oil if necessary or if desired, or a little water if it's too sour.