Wild Onion and Dandelion Bruschetta: Edibles #7 and #8

Culinary Masterpiece

Recovery from the-cold-that-will-not-end was expedited by gathering dandelion greens from the roadside. With leftover wild onions from Connecticut, they became a wild onion and dandelion bruschetta. So good that we had trouble waiting to photograph our handiwork.

Wild onion and dandelion bruschetta
Serves 2
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ - 2 cups fresh dandelion greens (chopped)
• ½ cup wild onion greens (finely chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
• salt to taste
• 1 small tomato
• 2 slices Italian style white bread

Brown pressed garlic in butter over medium heat. Add dandelion, onion greens, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of water every so often to speed wilting. Add red bell peppers and salt generously. Cook for 3-5 minutes more or until tender. Served over toasted bread and sliced, fresh tomatoes.

It’s a shame that the bitter dandelion is often the first edible wild plant that people eat. It took me a long time to learn to prepare dandelions well. Check out John Kallas’s supurb essay on dandelions if you’ve ever tasted a dandelion and wondered why everyone was getting so excited.