Herbal medicine recipes >>>> Dandelion - edible recipes

Dandelion - edible recipes.

There is a double attitude to the medicinal plant Dandelion (Taraxacus officinalis). On the one hand, this wild-growing flower pleases the eye in early spring with its yellow-green glades, on the other hand, it causes skepticism when it is mentioned as a medicinal plant and, even worse, as an edible plant. Perhaps many have wondered more than once how such a plant can be eaten if you are not a hamster, not a guinea pig, not a rabbit or a goat! But in order to understand what the healing and edible appeal of Dandelion is, it is worth contacting French chefs who have long learned how to cook Dandelion in such a way that any hostile associations with this plant as with "fodder" greens are dispelled.

It is Dandelion greens that are cultivated in France (as well as in Germany, England, Holland, India, Japan, and the USA) for consumption. And it is its greens that have a unique supply of vitamins and mineral compounds, which contributed to the fact that the Dandelion plant was given the official name "Medicinal".

Dandelion greens contain a high% composition of Ascorbic acid (about 0.002 ounces per 0.35 ounces of fresh green mass) - this is higher than that of the usual salad greens, Manganese and Phosphorus (up to 20%), Iron in high concentrations, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, vitamins A (carotene) and B2, niacin. Hence the usefulness of the plant for the nutrition of those suffering from iron deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, skin diseases associated with metabolic disorders.

Dandelion Greens will appeal to anyone with a background in eating Arugula (Eruka) as a salad green. In all recipes where Arugula greens are present, feel free to replace it with Dandelion leaves, and you will get luxurious and healthier dishes, since Arugula leaves are a spice for their tangy taste (frankly bitter taste), and Dandelion leaves have a more gentle taste of greenery for the gastrointestinal tract. But in order not to get an unpleasant experience of eating this plant out of habit, it is recommended to first scald Dandelion leaves in boiling water before use or hold for 2-3 hours in cold salted water to disappear bitterness.

There is a specificity of collecting Dandelion greens for food, and it consists in the fact that ONLY young early Dandelion leaves are edible when the plant is still in the budding stage - in a later period, all useful substances will leave the leaves into a flower, and the greens will become coarse and tasteless. That is, Dandelion greens for consumption must be harvested long before the beginning of flowering - when only - only fresh juicy and tender leaves branches. Dandelion buds can also be used - they can be pickled and used instead of capers for seasoning salads and meat (fish) dishes.

As for the medicinal value of Dandelion, there is something to be surprised at, since the medicinal properties of this plant are not contained in the leaves, as is usually thought, but in the root. It is the Dandelion root that is a storehouse of medicinal properties of this plant. Since Dandelion is a perennial plant, it manages to grow a rather powerful root over the years of its life - up to 20 inches in length. Dandelion roots must be harvested in late autumn, when the plant is preparing for dormancy and wintering - during this period, a high amount of inulin (natural sugar) accumulates in the Dandelion root - up to 40%, sucrose - up to 20%, Taraxacin glycoside (bitterness) - up to 10% , proteins (proteins) - up to 15%, carotene, organic acids and tannins (antiseptics).

Dandelion root is dug up and, either prepared from raw or cooked (6-8 minutes of cooking in salted water, the bitterness of the root is removed), useful mashed potatoes and added to food (like carrot roots), or dried, crushed and used as a food additive.

There is a recipe for a coffee substitute made from dried Dandelion root powder. The Dandelion coffee drink is prepared in the same way as the Chicory root drink, but unlike Chicory roots, Dandelion roots can be used in almost any dietary diet, including those of diabetics. A coffee drink made from Dandelion roots is not an additive to coffee, but an independent healthy drink that can be an alternative to coffee lovers who do not have the ability to consume coffee for health reasons.

The bitterness of the greens and roots of Dandelion makes sense to use for nutrition and for medicinal purposes only when the goal is to stimulate digestion and appetite, since Taraxacin (bitterness) has a choleretic effect. In other cases, they try to use the plant for food, getting rid of the bitterness by the above methods.

Bleached Dandelion leaves are often used for food. The principle of bleaching Dandelion leaves is the same as bleaching Asparagus or growing heads of Vitluf Vegetable Chicory. Before the leaves begin to grow in very early spring, the place of growth of the Dandelion bush is covered with a mulching material that allows moisture to pass through, but does not allow daylight to pass through. They are waiting for the Dandelion leaves to hatch (a rosette of leaves should grow, but in a closed form - a kind of bunch of discolored leaves) to the height of the usual growth of a Dandelion leaf. At dusk (when the sun goes down, check the height of the overgrown rosette of leaves), after reaching the desired height of the rosette of Dandelion leaves, it is cut off and eaten raw or scalded.

A few edible recipes from Dandelion will allow you to get better acquainted with the culinary and medicinal value of this multifaceted plant.

Dandelion salad with sour cream (with feta cheese).

Bleached Dandelion Leaf Salad (or green Dandelion leaves, but half with Head Salad) includes chopped bleached rosettes of Dandelion leaves in the amount of 4-6 bunches or 2 bunches of green Dandelion leaves (scalded) plus a quarter of a head of Cabbage Salad. Mix the chopped greens with half a glass of 25% sour cream (or 0.35 ounces of soft cheese), add half a teaspoon of sugar, lightly add and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed in the salad.

Dandelion salad with egg and cheese.

Mix 4 bunches of green Dandelion leaves (can be scalded) with two finely crushed boiled eggs, rub 1.8 ounces of cheese into a salad, sprinkle with half a lemon juice, add a flat teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt, mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Dandelion leaf infusion vitamin.

Soak the green Dandelion leaves (1 bunch) in cold water for 2-3 hours to remove the bitterness. Cut one lemon into wedges. Chop finely soaked Dandelion leaves, pour them with 17 ounces of 176-degree in Fahrenheit hot water (like a very hot tea) and insist for an hour, strain, add lemon slices, half a teaspoon of sugar to the infusion (or Stevia leaves in the amount of 5.3 ounces, which are added at the stage of infusion of Dandelion leaves in boiling water and filtered with it).

Dandelion flower tea.

Collect 7 ounces of Dandelion flowers, rinse thoroughly in running water. Dip them in sugar syrup (14 ounces of sugar per 34 ounces of water). Boil the flowers in syrup over low heat until the flowers are completely boiled - for about 30-40 minutes. Use the sweet blank of Dandelion flowers for making tea, adding it to the water heated for tea according to your own taste of the degree of sweetness of the tea.