Dandelion salad with halloumi croutons
July 19, 2011 • Category: Salads
If your partner is a carnivore and after asking you “what is for dinner”, the answer is:
“Dandelion salad with cheese”, there is a high likelihood of hearing grumbling or protests.
Please hear me out.
This salad has a heap of fried onion rings.
The dandelions are coated with olive oil, making them taste rich and mellow.
The halloumi croutons are buttery and chewy.
The salad is served at room temperature.
This is a perfect dish for a summer evening. It is served (minus the halloum croutons) at every mezze in Lebanon, with quartered lemons on the side.
Some folks still make it with wild dandelions that were foraged that day. I go to the supermarket and get the organic ones if possible.
INGREDIENTS: 4 servings
- 1 bunch of dandelions
- 2 onions
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts (preferably Lebanese or Turkish)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Olive oil to fry the onions and dandelions
- Butter to fry the  halloumi
- 1 Halloumi cheese, cut in cubes (optional)
- Salt, pepper
- 1 Lemon
METHOD:
- Wash the dandelions well and cut off the tough ends. Boil a few cups of salted water and drop the dandelions in the boiling water for a few seconds until they turn limp (but not too long to preserve their vibrant color).
- Drain the dandelions and set aside. Slice the onions into rings and fry in some oil until golden brown, stirring every couple of minutes and watching them to prevent burning. Mash the garlic with salt in a mortar and set aside. In a smaller skillet, drop a tablespoon of butter and fry the halloumi cubes on all sides till golden; drain on paper towels.
- Drop the pine nuts into the onions and fry them with the onions for 3 minutes until they turn golden. Squeeze the dandelions of any extra water and drop them in the pan with the onions and pine nuts. Add the garlic paste and stir to combine evenly into the greens. Remove from the skillet onto a platter, serve with the cheese croutons and some additional lemons quartered if desired on the side.
NOTE:
After slicing the onions, you can sprinkle them with salt to make them purge their water and fry to a crispier state.
Comments
17 Comments • Comments Feed
Velva says:
I live in a house where I am the only female. My boys are big carnivores…me not so much. I would love this salad. I have never eaten dandelion greens. I am not sure they are available where I live. I read about them often. I know I would enjoy it. My husband would enjoy it too, the fried onions would do the trick for him.
velva
On July 19, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Oui, Chef says:
I swear my father in law would leave his wife and start chasing you if he ever saw this recipe. All of his favorite foods on one plate. I’ll have to make it for him soon! – S
On July 19, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Jojo says:
This sounds incredible!!! Haloumi is hard to find in our area but I’ll be giving this a try the next time we have some. Yum!
On July 19, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Lyndsey says:
This looks so good to me, and actually my husband would be happy with this lovely dish too. I have not tried dandelion greens yet, but I am bringing more and more home to try…my family is taking it pretty well. This is worth trying!
On July 19, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Rosa says:
That salad is wonderful! A great combo. Halloumi is such a versatile cheese.
Cheers,
Rosa
On July 19, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Murasaki Shikibu says:
I am sure this is very good even for carnivores. When made properly, vegetarian cuisine can be satisfying even to meat eaters!
On July 20, 2011 at 12:27 am
Rachel K says:
I love dandelion leaves – even better that for me it’s food-for-free (weeds in my garden!) But I love the idea for cheese croutons. Genius!
On July 20, 2011 at 4:14 am
Chiara says:
I have never eaten dandelion greens, I would love this kind of salad… But Halloumi is hard to find here…have a lovely day Joumana…
On July 20, 2011 at 8:45 am
Krista says:
How perfectly scrumptious!! Now I’m missing my backyard with all the dandelions ready for picking. 🙂 How wonderful to add those lovely onions.
On July 20, 2011 at 9:31 am
weirdcombos says:
Love ‘lions teeth’. You made it extra fancy Joumana! Cheers!
H
On July 20, 2011 at 9:47 am
Tova says:
Amazing! Those dandelions are so bright green. And I will eat pretty much anything that has fried onions on it.
On July 20, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Joan Nova says:
I like a cooked vegetable salad…many people don’t think of that. Yours is great! As is the presentation! Well done.
On July 21, 2011 at 6:27 am
Nuts about food says:
I like meat but I also love all kinds of vegetables and this looks like a salad I would love.
On July 21, 2011 at 7:24 am
TastyTrix says:
How is it that you always seem to post something that speaks to what I was craving … only I don’t know I am craving it until I read your post? Seriously ,I wish someone could deliver all of these ingredients to my door right now, as it is too hot to step outside. Sigh.
On July 21, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Marie says:
You’re amazing, you’re blog is amazing, I love your creations in the kitchen!
On July 22, 2011 at 9:41 pm
TastyTrix says:
PS I made this for dinner Friday night and it was a huge hit! Loved it.
On July 24, 2011 at 10:33 am
domi says:
Bonjour Joumana, une adorable salade qui en jette et qui attire agréablement l’oeil avec ta jolie présentation et ses délicates saveurs. Bisous et passe une douce soirée
On July 24, 2011 at 1:13 pm