Dandelion! Officially the healthiest plant ever! Well, it's pretty high up there, anyway. Apparently it does wonders for the liver, kidneys and many other parts of your system. The leaves, which are featured on our foraging list today, contain iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and Vitamins A and C.
I quite like the bitter taste of the leaves and therefore knew I would enjoy making pesto from them. If you've never had a dandelion leaf before, have a nibble of one (after having safely identified and washed it, of course) and see if the taste appeals to you before bringing them home by the bucketload.
My allotment and back garden alone yielded enough leaves to make a decent jarful of pesto. This adaptation is based on an American recipe, hence why all the amounts are in cups. I do tend to play fast and loose with pesto recipes, depending on how I feel and what I have kicking around in the cupboard - but this gives you a rough idea of ratios at least.
- 2 cups dandelion leaves
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or other nuts)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice and zest
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder (this really works!)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated cheese (parmesan or any strong hard cheese)
Bung it all in a bowl or blender, blitz it up, and hey pesto!
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