sauce

Hot Salad with Dandelion Greens

This side dish of dandelion greens with a simple stovetop custard sauce flavored with bacon and apple cider vinegar is a PA Dutch classic. My Grammy Drake taught my mom how to make it when my parents were first married, and my mom gave me the recipe. I’ve made it before but not for a few years. I guess I got busy and somehow forgot how special a memory this homey mixture is. Actually, my mom used to make the custard minus the bacon, vinegar and greens and pour it onto a dinner plate; I would eat it still warm and it was very soothing and yummy if I had a tummy ache.

Back to this version that my father loved: the dandelion greens are slightly bitter; the bacon is salty and crisp if you add it at the very last moment. Mixed together with the tangy custard it is so delicious over freshly made mashed potatoes. It tastes like my childhood.

Notes: There are a few secrets to it. Use whole milk to get the proper thickness and rich flavor for your custard. Use real bacon and chop it up before frying. Pick tender greens and clean them well: rinse, remove any bloom stalks and dead or yellow leaves. Rinse again. Double check and rinse one last time. Spin in your salad spinner or dry in lint free kitchen towels. Finally, it’s critical to stir the custard often as it cooks and keep the heat low; it is pretty easy to scotch this delicate sauce.

Hot Dandelion Salad

Custard Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. rice flour

1.5 Tbsp. sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 slices of bacon fried to crispy perfection – crumble after they cool

1 qt cleaned dandelion leaves, no flower stems, roots or brown/yellow leaves. Wash several times and spin dry in your salad spinner. Baby spinach makes a good substitute for dandelions.

Freshly made mashed potatoes

Directions: Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a 1 qt saucepan, preferably one with a heavy bottom. Add the milk and whisk together. Place over medium low heat and whisk in the egg. Cook slowly until it thickens quite a bit, could take 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes and add vinegar; whisk well. Add a tsp or two of the bacon fat and stir in the crumbled bacon and washed and torn dandelion greens. Serve while still warm over mashed potatoes. Goes well with roasted trout, fried heirloom porkchops or salmon fillets. Enjoy!

Mushroom, Prosciutto, and Tomato Sauce for Rice or Pasta

I combined 2 different recipes, both of which I have made and found this new version to be delightful. I also tested it out on reheated white Jasmine rice; chilled for the express purpose of turning the rice starch into resistant starch which is much healthier than freshly cooked rice. Resistant rice can improve gut health, reduce inflammation and help your blood sugar management. As a person with pre-diabetes I was very interested in this concept. I found that the gently reheated rice didn’t seem to spike my blood sugar as it normally would. Only tried it once so far, definitely will do it again. Good for all folks trying to reduce their consumption of “white starches.”

Anyway, try it because it is delicious and easy to make in a short cook, no fancy ingredients other than the Prosciutto. I bought a half inch thick slice of deli prosciutto and chopped it up into 1/3 inch squares. It tasted very authentic, salty and added that classic Italian ham flavor to my sauce. Sometimes you can find it alredy diced which is convenient but you need to make sure it is gf if you have celiac. I do think the whole slice method had a stronger more authentic flavor than the pre-diced ham. Don’t use precut mushrooms; slice them yourself for a fresher flavor. You can use white button mushrooms if that’s all that you can find. Wild mushrooms, carefully sourced would be fantastic. This is definitely my new favorite Italian sauce. My mouth is watering as I type!

Mushroom, Tomato and Prosciutto Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 lb crimoni mushrooms

1 Tbsp. EVOL

1 Tbsp plus 1 more for the second saute of butter

1/3-1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 good sized garlic clove minced

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice (petite dice is even better if you can find it)

1/2 cup chicken broth (I made it up from jarred concentrate)

1/2 lb prosciutto diced

a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley or 2 tsp. dried parsley (I had dried some myself and it was great)

Directions:

Melt 1 tbsp. butter with olive oil in a saucepan or mini wok. Add mushrooms you have cleaned and sliced slightly thicker than usual. Sautee 3 minutes, stir several times. Remove to a plate. Add in another tbsp. of butter and once melted add the onion. Cook 3-4 minutes; do not let brown. Add minced garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and let heat. Push the veggies to the edges and fill the center with the diced prosciutto. Give it a minute and add the chicken broth. Turn down to where it bubbles gently. Cook 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add parsley and stir well, taste and add salt/pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Served over jasmine rice that was made a day or 3 before; reheated before I sauced it