How to Harvest Wild Greens and Recipe for Carpaccio with Dandelion Greens Salad and Truffle Oil (Καρπάτσιο με Ραδίκια και Λάδι Τρούφας)

The dandelions are coming! The dandelions are coming!

Actually, the first dandelions of the season have arrived. They’re still few and far between, but I was able to find enough to make a salad.

In honor of the occasion, I bought a piece of the best beef tenderloin I could find and made Carpaccio. I cut the tenderloin into thin slices, pounded it even thinner, seasoned it, drizzled it with white truffle oil, and topped it with fresh dandelion salad dressed with lemon and olive oil. Thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese crowned the salad.

It was glorious.

Dandelions are at their best in early spring, when their flavor is sweet and mild. As flower buds develop and blossom, dandelion greens become too bitter to eat. In Alaska, dandelions reseed themselves more than once (at least in my yard), and the new plants can be harvested throughout the summer, so long as the leaves are small and flower buds either not present or just forming at the base of the leaves.

Spring wild greens season is one of my favorite times of year. In season, I pick large quantities of my favorite greens (such as nettles and devil’s club), blanch them for 1 minute in salted boiling water, and freeze them in zip-lock bags for winter use.

Rules for Gathering Wild Plants

1. Some plants can be confused with inedible or poisonous look-alikes. Be sure you know what you’ve harvested before eating any wild plant. There are many excellent field guides to edible plants. Consult one or more that focuses on the plants of your region before going on foraging expeditions.

2. Even though a plant is edible, its flavor may not be worth the effort of harvesting or preparing it, particularly when there are so many other easily harvested plants around. Chickweed is an example of an edible plant that, for me, isn’t worth the effort to clean it. Before gathering a large amount of a plant that is new to you, cook and taste a small bit to make sure it appeals to your palate.

3. Be careful about gathering wild plants in areas that’ve been sprayed with pesticides, or in areas where you don’t know if spraying has occurred. I don’t gather wild plants within 75 feet of a main road because dirt and pollution from traffic and exhaust fumes can contaminate the plants. I also avoid gathering wild plants in areas where animal waste is likely to be found.

4. No matter where I gather wild greens, I always meticulously wash them before using. The first wash is in cold water with 1/2 cup of vinegar mixed in, and the second is in cold, clear water.

Note on Gathering Devil’s Club and Fireweed Shoots for Readers in Southcentral Alaska

It’s time to start watching Devil’s Club carefully because the leaf buds will likely be ready to harvest in the next week. When they do appear, the emerging leaf buds are at an edible stage for only a few days. Devil’s club leaf buds can be harvested until they are about an inch long. At this stage, the spikes on the undersides of the leaves haven’t yet developed and are still soft. Once the spikes harden, devil’s club leaf buds are no longer edible. UPDATE: My post on harvesting and preparing Devil's Club is here.

Fireweed shoots are also starting to emerge. Cooked fireweed shoots are similar to wild asparagus and can be used in soups, mixed cooked greens, or any dish that calls for cooking greens. Fireweed shoots must be gathered when they first emerge; once the leaves start spreading out, which happens very quickly, fireweed shoots are too bitter for most people. Picked early in the year, fireweed shoots are quite mild. UPDATE: My post on harvesting and preparing Fireweed is here.

Carpaccio with Dandelion Greens Salad and Truffle Oil (Καρπάτσιο με Ραδίκια και Λάδι Τρούφας)
Serves 2
Adapted from Antonio Carluccio Goes Wild (Headline Book Publishing 2001)

4 cups of dandelion greens
1/2 pound beef tenderloin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
White truffle oil (optional)

Wash the dandelions very carefully. Discard any tough or damaged leaves, stems, roots, and the tiny flower bud often found in the very center of even young dandelions. Dry the dandelions well.

Trim any fat or silverskin from the meat. Slice the tenderloin into very thin slices (this is easier to do if you put the beef in the freezer for a short time before trying to slice it and easiest to do if you have a meat slicer). Pound the meat between slices of plastic wrap with a meat pounder until it is very thin. Lay the meat out on two plates. Lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with a very small amount of white truffle oil (be careful, truffle oil is potent; too much will ruin the dish).

Slowly whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the cleaned dandelion greens with the dressing. Pile the greens on top of the pounded slices of tenderloin.

Shave off thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; this is easiest to do with a vegetable peeler. Top the greens with the cheese. Serve with slices of crusty bread.
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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by me - I'm looking forward to receiving a zillion entries by Sunday afternoon (May 11).