Country Info | Food and Drinks | Recipes for Traditional Food in Slovenia | Dandelion Salad

If you visit Slovenia in early spring, you may notice quite a few natives behaving in a strange fashion: they will walk slowly over meadows, stooped, looking intently at the ground; from time to time, they will bend down and cut something from the earth with a small knife, and put it into a plastic bag.

Some arcane rites of spring? No, people are picking dandelion shoots, a prized spring delicacy. If you want to try, make sure you pick only the very young plants: once the flower buds are fully formed, the leaves became bitter. There are several kinds of edible dandelion, none are poisonous, but the ones with intensely serrated leaves and white stems are the best. Cut the florets just above the root, remove any semi-formed flower buds and fluff, wash thoroughly in several cold waters.

Here are two ways to prepare them.

Traditional recipe -- ingredients:

• 0.30 kg dandelion shoots, washed and drained
• 2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced
• 1 hard-boiled egg, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or more, if you like)
• 2 Tbsp lard with cracklings
• wine vinegar to taste
• salt to taste

Put hot potatoes on dandelion shoots (to soften them a bit); add egg and sprinkle with garlic. Heat the lard in a small sauce-pan, alow the cracklings to fry for some 30 seconds. Add vinegar and salt, mix and pour over the dandelion shoots. Toss vigorously and serve.

Modern recipe -- ingredients:

• 0.30 kg dandelion shoots, washed and drained
• 2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced
• 1 hard-boiled egg, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or more, if you like)
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin-seed oil or 3 Tbsp salad oil (a mixture of pumpkin-seed and other vegetable oils)
• wine vinegar to taste
• salt to taste

Put hot potatoes on dandelion shoots; add egg and sprinkle with garlic. Mix oil, vinegar and salt, pour over dandelion and toss vigorously.

Serve with fresh rye bread.

miso