Pasta with Garlic, Oil and Dandelion Greens
It's early spring, and while the garden is not yet giving up much produce, the dandelions are in full swing, so here's a great way to make use of them.
I’ve read many articles on cooking and eating dandelions. As a raw green, I find them inedible, in fact I literally think they taste like poison. As a cooked green, I find them too intense on their own unless they are first blanched, so like to mix them in with other greens, or with other things, and that’s how I started making this dish.
Around my house, all variations on this dish are called “herby pasta” (i.e. pasta with green stuff in it), and it has been one of my kids favorite things to eat since they first got their teeth. It always involves garlic, chilies, olive oil, & anchovies; but the greens vary with the season. This time of year, dandelion greens are just about the only thing going, and that’s fine, because their intense flavor goes really well with all the other intense flavors in this dish. Technically this dish is called “pasta aglio e olio” (pasta with garlic and oil), and then I guess to account for the dandelions and make it sound extra fancy, you could call it “pasta cicoria e aglio e olio” or “pasta dente di leone e aglio e olio” but I suppose that all depends on the dinner guests, and how pretentious you wish to sound. For me, unless your guests are Italian, and especially if the guests have kids, I suggest “herby pasta” or “dandelion pasta” :) Here’s what you need to make it:
Ingredients
Pasta for 4 (240g - 400g dried pasta)
4 - 8 cloves of garlic (or 4-8 tbsp garlic paste)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried chilies
1/2 tsp salt
1 tin anchovies or 2 tbsp fish sauce
Basil/oregano/herbs (all optional)
Enough dandelion greens to fill a salad bowl
When to harvest dandelion greens
The dandelion is at its best during early spring and late fall. As soon as they emerge in the spring, right up until they start making flowers, the greens can be harvested. Once the flower buds start opening up they become much more bitter and are simply not worth the effort. In fall, after a few frosts, the greens lose their bitterness again, and can be harvested at that time.
How to make it
Fill a pot with water, add a dash of salt, and set it on high. Add the pasta when it comes to a boil, and stir occasionally for 8-10 minutes. While that’s all happening, do the other steps below.
Wash the greens and remove the base of the stems. The thick base of the dandelion green is the most bitter part of it - so just remove the last inch or two of each green and the flavor will be much better.
Mince the garlic, anchovies and greens.
Heat a large pan or wok (needs to be big enough to toss all that pasta) with 2 or 3 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of water should dance when it hits the pan) add the garlic, chilies and anchovies. Stir them around for a minute, then add the greens and the salt, and any herbs (options) you desire. Stir that vigorously for another minute.
Add a couple tbsp of the pasta water to the pan, then strain and add the pasta to the pan and toss until everything is nicely mixed. If the pan is too small - dump it all into a big bowl to give it a good mixing, then put it back in the pan. While mixing, if desired, another splash of olive oil can be added. Serve with parmesan or Romano cheese, or olives, or whatever else you like with pasta.
Why this works
This dish works because pasta aglio e olio has been around forever and it is delicious and flavorful despite its simple ingredients and fast cooking time. For me, it is the combination of the intense flavors of the garlic, anchovies and chilis that make this dish so wonderful. The dandelion greens are just added value that give it a very fresh and intensely “green” character that really lets everyone know that spring is here! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. Happy cooking!
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Here’s a video where I make a variation on this dish:
I heard one of the premiere "living soil" missionaries in Norway say that dandelions - if you place a bucket over one for a week or two - turn yellow from being starved from sunlight, but more importantly turn very sweet and the bitterness goes away. It should probably be timed to after a lot of vegetative growth but before it starts sending up flower buds.