A recipe to bring out the dandelion, a spontaneous plant that spring up here and there in the meadows, almost everywhere.


The dandelion is full of properties: it is purifying and anti-inflammatory. If you want to go deeper into the topic, you can take a look here. Its leaves can be used (young in salads, or cooked as I suggest in this recipe), flowers (in vinegar or as dandelion 'honey', which is a vegan alternative to honey) and roots (together with the leaves dried, to make many detox teas).

First, the young leaves of the Dandelion must be harvested before making the typical yellow flower. They then go thoroughly in abundant cold water, rinsing them 3-4 times and removing the various impurities. Bring a pot of water to the boil and then boil the leaves for 5 '. In this way the leaves will slightly lose the bitterness that distinguishes them. Boiling water can then be drunk during the day to purify the body.

After 5 minutes, the leaves are drained, squeezed and roughly cut with a knife.
In a wok put 3 tablespoons of oil, a crushed clove of garlic, 1 chopped dry red pepper and the lemon zest. Brown everything for a few minutes, making sure that the lemon zest does not burn. Finally the dandelion is browned, salting it slightly.

The citrus aroma will accompany the bitterness of the dandelion, making the flavor turn pleasantly fresh and unexpected.

Cut a loaf of durum wheat into slices and toast it on a grill until you see the dark stripes (making sure that the grill is hot before placing the bread on it: in this way the bread will not dry out).

Cut 4 Piccadilli tomatoes into small pieces, place them in a bowl and season with dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove of crushed garlic and a pinch of pepper. Marinate for half an hour and then remove the garlic.

On the still hot slices of bread, pour a spoonful of seasoned cherry tomatoes and a sprig of dandelions. If you wish, pour some extra virgin olive oil before serving.