Cara's Cuisine
by Cara Cea April showers bring May … dandelions. Those of us hooked on fresh, local foods will even eat weeds this time of year! We are counting the days until our farms have produced the first new greens, fruits and vegetables of the season. If it is herbs you are longing for, you are in luck here. The potted herbs available here on MyPersonalFarmers.com make a great gift – for mom or yourself! Speaking of mom, with Mother’s Day in May, brunch is on the menu this month. My recipes include Apple Cheddar Quiche and Sauteed Dandelion Greens with Toasted Pine Nuts. My mom often made apple cheddar quiche when she entertained when I was a child. The recipe featured here is a variation and a tribute to her. I also feature dandelion greens in a starring role this month not just because they are readily available at this time of year, but because they are surprisingly healthful. According to an excerpt from a book by Peter A. Gail, Ph.D., titled "The Dandelion Celebration-The Guide to Unexpected Cuisine," that appears online on leaflady.org - http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm, dandelion greens are rich in “trace elements, vitamins and other biologically active substances” that are quite good for us. Dandelion greens can be used like arugula or radicchio in a regular green salad by themselves or as a compliment to other greens, or they can be sautéed like other green leafy vegetables. Be sure to pick them from areas not sprayed with pesticides. The website for the new Discovery Health all-green network, Planet Green, launching in early June, mentions health benefits of dandelion green as well (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/). The April 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine featured a nice, simple recipe for sautéed dandelion greens. My recipe calls for less cook time and half the oil and adds toasted pine nuts for texture. So head on out to your yard, (or your neighbor’s yard – they won’t mind the help with the weeding) and pick yourself some dandelion greens for some healthful eating and try the recipe below.
Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Toasted Pine Nuts
Ingredients:
Dandelion greens (as many as you care to pick)
Preparation: Wash and cut greens, removing the tough stems. Boil greens in water for about one minute. Drain. To sauté: Cover the bottom of a skillet with extra virgin olive oil, add fresh garlic and red pepper flakes to taste and sauté greens a minute or two on medium heat until tender. Top with pine nuts. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Apple Cheddar Quiche Ingredients:
One (two if they are small) frozen or refrigerated pie crust (follow package directions)
Preparation: Whisk eggs and milk together. Pour into pie shell. Add apples and cheese. Top with thin slices of potato. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about an hour until the top is firm and golden brown and crust is cooked thoroughly. Sprinkle top with kosher salt while still hot.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! About CaraCara is an amateur chef who has been interested in cooking since she was a child and observed her mother and grandmother. They never used a recipe for their delicious Italian family dishes. Her mother is an avid cookbook collector and passed along that passion as well.In Sept. 2007, Cara won the first annual Locally Grown recipe contest and cook-off sponsored by the Journal News (www.lohud.com/locallygrown) in Westchester County, www.mypersonalfarmers.com and The Valley Restaurant (http://thegarrison.com/pages/home/dining/valley_restaurant.php) in Garrison, NY. Her recipe, Ratatouille Pizza, was developed as a way to get her family to eat lots of fresh, local vegetables. Cara is food writer and editor for the Examiner newspapers in Pleasantville and Mt. Kisco and writes her own food blog (http://farmersmarketcooking.blogspot.com/). Her dream is to be the next Food Network star and she hopes to write her own cookbook one day. She can be reached via e-mail at farmersmarketcook@gmail.com. Other Favorite Recipes
Apple-Cranberry Crumb Pie
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