Category Archives: Food

Nijntje Jellies

Food, , , ,

Making jelly is a simple way to encourage little people to become interested in herbs and provide them with a different way to eat some useful ingredients.  The jelly eater that these were made for, selected the herbs herself from balcony pots.

You can use many combinations of fruit and juice, whatever you have fresh to hand really.  Apple juice is very useful to sweeten up a more sour juice and yoghurt adds more substance.  I like to add a dash of rosewater here and there but it is not essential.  Many herbs are unsuitable to children so be cautious, adding only a little of herbs you know are very safe for children.

Gelatin is an animal product.  Agar agar, dervied from seaweed, could be used in place of gelatin as a setting agent.

Nijntje Orange, Peach & Mint Jelly

5 leaves of gelatin
Juice of 2 large juicy oranges
Apple juice
1/2 fresh peach or nectarine (peeled and chopped)
A few clean, finely chopped leaves of fresh garden mint or lemon balm
Dash of rosewater
Bunny shaped food moulds (or food safe plastic cups)

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes before draining and squeezing out the excess.
2. Pour the squeezed orange juice through a seive into a measuring jug and top up to 250ml using apple juice.
3. Pour the fruit juices and dash of rosewater into to a small saucepan.
4. Add the soaked gelatin and chopped herbs. Heat very gently, not allowing to boil, stirring constantly until all the gelatin dissolves.
5. Add the chopped fruit and stir well to combine.
6. Pour carefully into the jelly moulds and allow to set in a refrigerator for a few hours.
7. Serve from the moulds or remove firstly.

Nijntje Carrot & Yoghurt Jelly

10 leaves of gelatin
125ml carrot juice
125ml pear juice / apple juice
250ml yoghurt
2 whole canned pears chopped
A few clean leaves of lemon verbena or mint or lemon balm, finely chopped
Pinch of ground ginger
Bunny shaped jelly moulds

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes before draining and squeezing out the excess.
2. Pour the juices and yoghurt into a saucepan, whisk up a little to combine.
4. Add the soaked gelatin, chopped herbs and ginger. Heat very gently, not allowing to boil, stirring constantly until all the gelatin dissolves.
5. Add the chopped pear and stir well to combine.
6. Pour carefully into the jelly moulds and allow to set in a refrigerator for a few hours.
7. Serve from the moulds or remove firstly.

Lamb & Mint Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Food, , , , , , ,

Mint comes in many shapes and sizes. On my kitchen balcony grows a chocolate mint and an unspectacular variety which was given to me as a cutting and tastes great in teas and cooked dishes.  Mint is well loved by many warmer cultures for its ability to promote sweating and thus cool the body in hot weather.  It eases many digestive disorders such as flatulence, colic and nausea.  Mint can reduce teething pain in children, is disliked by rats and the British know that it makes a great accompaniment to lamb dishes, when served as mint sauce or jelly.

This recipe combines mint and lamb directly.  It is inspired by the French Elle a table magazine (number 69, spring 2010). It is cheap to make, easy to make and tastes great.

A note about pine nuts…
Increase or decrease the quantity of pine nuts to suit your taste and wallet.  I implore you not to buy cheap pine nuts, especially those from China. I buy the best quality Italian pine nuts that I can find from a trusted source. For some reason many cheaper (organic and non organic) pine nuts can cause adverse reactions and at best can remove your sense of taste for a week or so. If you can’t find good pine nuts then you could use more almond butter.  Almond butter is available from many health food shops.  If you can’t find that, use ground almonds!

You can also add a little chili, curry or cayenne pepper during cooking, to make this dish spicier, if desired.  This is a child friendly version.

Ingredients:

500g quality minced lamb
1 large onion
Small – good handful best quality pine nuts
Tablespoon of ground almond butter
Good handful of fresh mint
400g can of chopped tomatoes
Tablespoon tomato puree
1 vegetable stock cube or teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter
Olive oil

Directions:

  1. Peel the onion.
  2. Wash the mint and remove any woody parts.
  3. Finely chop the onion.
  4. Reserve about 10 mint leaves before finely chopping the rest and adding it to the onion.
  5. If serving to children, very finely chop or grind the pine nuts.  Combine with the onion and mint.
  6. Combine the almond butter with the onion and mint.
  7. Add the minced lamb, mix well to thoroughly combine the flavours.
    (steps 3-7 are very simply achieved with a food processor)
  8. Hand shape the meatball mixture into fairly small balls.  I use about a heaped desert spoonfull for each ball.
  9. Gently brown the meatballs on all sides in some melted butter combined with olive oil.
  10. Transfer the juices and browned meatballs to a casserole pan.
  11. Add the can of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, remaining mint leaves, stock cube or powder and a little salt and pepper to taste.  If serving to adults perhaps add a few more whole pine nuts to the sauce.
  12. Heat gently to begin with and stir very carefully to combine the sauce ingredients without breaking up the meatballs.
  13. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer on a low heat for about 40 minutes.
  14. Serve with white beans (cannellini) and perhaps white rice.

Lime leaves & flowers – sandwiches, scented water and drying (NL:Linden, Tilia)

Food, Foraging, Trees, Wild herbs, , , , , , , ,

Yesterday I walked to a local public garden and harvested a carrier bag full of leaf and blossom sprigs from Lime/Linden (Tilia) trees.  These trees smell great at the moment. Whole neighbourhoods are perfumed by Lime flowers, loaded with nectar to attract hoards of bees.

If you pluck clean a clean lime flower from a tree in a safe location, you may like to eat it directly. They taste sweet and aromatic with a hint of bitter tannin. The aroma which will fill your mouth, nose and mind is uniquely delicious and has been highly prized, by many cultures, for centuries.  Lime flowers will quickly release a little glutinous, sweet mucilage as you chew.  More details about properties of this amazing tree in the main post on Lime.

So with limited space and time…
How to dry tree leaves and flowers.

  1. Once home, lay out the harvest on a light surface and discard any rough, diseased or otherwise unhealthy looking leaves, flowers or sprigs.
  2. Allow time for bugs to escape and find them a new home if they seem lost.
  3. My harvest was partly covered in a dried black film – originating from greenfly droppings in the canopy – so I then used scissors to separate the flowers from the leaves.  99% of the flowers were unaffected.
  4. Gently but thoroughly wash any dirt or film from the leaves, using cold water.  If you wash the flowers you will loose the valuable nectar and pollen.
    (It was very difficult to remove the black film from some parts so I discarded these and added them to my balcony pots as a mulch)
  5. Dry the leaves with a clean tea towel or muslin.
  6. Lay out the leaves and flowers separately to dry, on clean paper, cloths or trays.
    (I spread my harvest out on my dining room table, with a clean, absorbent, cotton table cloth beneath.  The room used needs to be well ventilated and fairly warm to facilitate good drying)
    This could be done in a very cool oven, I prefer to save electricity and let time do the drying.
  7. Turn the harvest from time to time to allow all surfaces to dry.
  8. If necessary, when the herbs feel dry to touch, move them to a more convenient drying area.
  9. Keep checking and shifting the herbs around to facilitate drying, for as long as it takes them to become completely brittle.
    (The flowers will dry much more quickly than the leaves, which could take 3 weeks)
  10. Inspect again for mould, unhealthy looking herbs.
  11. Store in glass airtight containers.Uses:
    Lots of information is given in the main Lime post but here are couple of others…

    • I couldn’t wait to use some of my harvest so I made Lime leaf, blossom and Amsterdam honey sandwiches for lunch.
    • I also added a few flowers to my cold water bottle this morning.  The water tasted and smelt very fragrant after about an hour.  It tasted far better than any shop bought, flavoured water and had the added benefit of a few cooling, gooey flowers to chew on during my 30 degree Dutch class.  The flowers would also look very pretty in a decanter of dinner table water.
    • Lime is magical – if you have the chance, give it a try!

Lime (NL:Linden) for Magical Midsummer Happiness

Food, Potions, Trees, Urban Herb Walks, ,

City bees are dizzy with happiness at present. The sweet perfume of Lime (NL:Linden, Tilia spp.) trees fills the air in many streets and parks, attracting bees from far and wide.  This tree looks wonderful, can grow to a stately height, is great for wildlife and it’s flowers are used to make the best herb tea and honey on Earth (well, I think so anyway!).  The Lime tree is able to calm our nerves and bring us happiness.

The tree is easily identified. It has a classic tree shape, if allowed to grow unchecked, has large heart-shaped and sharply toothed leaves which are smooth above. Lime flowers hang yellowish-white from the trees from Midsummer to July, not necessarily all over the tree. There are often burrs on the handsome trunks.

Uses

  • Linden flower tea is very popular here in the Netherlands and across the continent.  Lime grows abundantly in the UK yet is less widely used.  The French prize the herb tea made from Linden flowers above most others and call it Tilleul.  It was used traditionally in Europe to treat nervous disorders such as hysteria, nervous vomiting and palpitations brought about by stress.
  • Linden honey has been highly prized for generations, has a heavenly taste and carries many of the properties of the tree.
  • Lime wood is excellent for minutely detailed carving and turning, being close grained, strong, durable and unattractive to woodworm.
  • Lime bark has been traditionally used in Europe to make baskets and fishing nets.
  • The sap is plentiful in spring and has a high sugar content.  It can be tapped in the same as Maple and Birch.
  • The leaves can also be made into a tea/infusion whereupon they yield an extremely thick (mucilaginous) and cooling drink.  They also make a simple and tasty sandwich filling.
  • It is found by many to be helpful for coughs, colds, fevers, headaches, inflammation, as a diaretic, general tonic, to calm the gut and to soothe nerves.
  • In general this herb is thought of as soothing, relaxing and promoting feelings of happiness.

Narcotic intoxication:
Lime blossom is easy to harvest, dry and use but as with all herbs, it should be treated with great respect.  Harvest when in full bloom and all should be well but beware that Lime blossom tea can produce a mild, non addictive intoxication.  Flowers left on the tree too long before harvesting are said to have a more intoxicating effect.  The mildly intoxicating effect of appropriatly harvested Lime makes many of us feel happy. It also makes Lime extremely valuable to those seeking to enter a state of trance and other magical journeying.

On a spiritual level, Lime is renowned as a tree herb which can help relieve grief and induce feelings of vibrancy and youthfulness.  To appreciate these qualities it is said that you should carry a small bag, filled with dried Lime leaves, or that you place them under your pillow.

How to harvest Lime/Linden.

Harvest from mature Lime trees, in as clean and unpolluted an area as is possible.
Choose a dry day, preferably before it becomes too hot and after the dew has dried.
Snip off young healthy sprigs, containing blossoms and a few leaves, from branches which you can reach easily.
Respect the trees and harvest sparingly.
Spread the harvest out on a clean dry surface, preferably on trays so air can circulate easily.
Leave in a warm, well ventilated place for 2 – 3 weeks, until the sprigs are thoroughly dry and brittle.
Store in sterilised airtight containers.

How to make Linden/Lime tea and infusion.
You can make Linden tea by simply steeping a sprig of fresh Lime in a cup of boiling hot water for as long as desired for taste.  Or you can use a teaspoon full of dried crushed herb per cup.

To make an infusion place about 5 tablespoons of crushed dried herb in a pot or jar which holds about 500ml of water (you could scale this up to suit the size of your container).  Add 500ml boiling water and leave with a tightly fitting lid and without heat, for between 4 and 8 hours (preferably overnight).  Then strain, separately retaining both the herb and infusion.  The infusion should be good for 24 hours if refrigerated.  Return the “used” herb material to the pot and add about 300ml of boiling water.  Simmer gently, for up to 2 hours, after which a very mucilaginous fluid should be obtained.  Again this should be good for about 24 hours if refrigerated.

Midsummer Schnapps

Food, Potions, , , , , ,

There is just enough time remaining to make a simple Midsummer Schnapps, to help celebrate the summer solstice on 21st June.  In Scandinavian countries, where the midnight sun arrives to delight at midsummer, Schnapps is a key ingredient of many celebrations. There are several recipes available for Midsummer Schnapps, here’s one which I like.  Ideally it is made a month or so before midsummer, allowing time for the properties of star anise and juniper berries to infuse into the vodka, but St John’s wort will infuse far quicker. Just a few days are required to get a reasonable colour, pleasant flavour and sunny properties from this herb, into the liquor.

St. John’s wort is renowned for helping people through periods of depression.  Capsules of the herb can have unpleasant side effects and may interact with some drugs so beware if you are taking any medication. The tincture (and the Schnapps is a weak tincture) is more likely to leave you feeling sunny and calm.  St John’s wort blooms on midsummer’s day, it is full of sunshine in so many respects, making it perfect for this drink.  I have not tried it but apparently the flower buds may be frozen for later use.  This recipe calls for buds which are fully developed but not yet opened, thus pick them before midsummer’s day.  The plant is full of a red oil, particularly at midsummer so use a good field guide to check you have the real thing and tear a petal to see if it “bleeds” red oil, showing it to be ripe for picking.

Recipe for Midsummer Schnapps

Pick St John’s wort flower buds before noon or before the sun becomes too hot, leave sepals on the plant or strip them from harvested flowers.  They do not add a good flavour to the schnapps.

Pick only black, fully ripened Juniper berries (or buy them dried and crush before use).  Blue and green Juniper berries do not taste pleasant. If necessary wash and carefully dry the flower buds and berries with paper towels before use.

Use wholes, fresh or dried star anise pods.

  1. Add about 3/4 cup of St John’s Wort flower buds, 45 – 55 Juniper berries and 10 Star anise pods to a clean glass jar with tighly fitting lid (preferably sterilised in dishwasher or low oven).
  2. Add enough unflavoured vodka (40% alcohol / 80 proof ) to cover the berries, pods and flowers.
  3. Secure the lid and leave in a room temperature, dark place for anywhere between 3 days and a month.  (As mentioned above, the St John’s wort will impart it’s properties in just a few days, the berries and pods require much longer but you should get a pleasant Schnapps after a few days).
  4. Shake the jar gently every few days.
  5. When you are ready, strain and filter your infusion into a clean (preferably sterile) glass bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid.

So, get your flower garlands and schnapps ready and enjoy the summer solstice!

Lunch at de Kas

Food, Restaurants

Restaurant de Kas is internationally acclaimed for serving homegrown and locally sourced organic food which is both seasonal and innovative.   The restaurant (housed in an old greenhouse) and its vegetable garden are situated in Park Frankendael. A set menu is offered which reflects the daily harvest (specific dietary needs are accommodated).  I have lived around the corner from this restaurant for several years, previously interviewed the manager for my MPH research but only ate lunch there today, for the first time!

Not only did the food and atmosphere exceed my expectations but the use of herbs was quite wonderful and I highly recommend it to other Urban Herbologists.  The lunch menu (without drinks or dessert) costs €37.50.  Have a look at their website for more details and Trip Advisor for some reviews.

Today we enjoyed three starters; Courgette flower fritters and soup, an asparagus dish and another of white fish, lobster and beetroot.

The main was mackerel fillet with a risotto and basil salsa.

The dessert was an absolutely mouthwatering bowl of panna cotta, Elderflower sorbet, strawberries and Rose petal chocolate.

As I hope you will see from the photos, each dish incorporated a liberal selection of flowers and herbs, most of which I am familiar with but also including unusual edible flowers such as Begonia – a little sour and very tasty.  The use of herbs and dressings was appropriate and really complimented the other flavours rather than overpowering them. This was a really delicious meal, for both the eye and taste buds – thank you Frank!

Rose Petal Cup Cakes

Food, , ,

In Amsterdam, Roses are currently in full bloom. They seem to thrive in the sandy soil and climate.  In my neighbourhood it seems that every other house has a rose or two, scrambling up the front wall, with roots often anchored in the tiniest of spaces. I am happy to have a Rambling Rector, growing in a roof terrace pot. It looks lovely against the chimney stack and produces a mass of tiny, white, fragrant blooms through May and June.

Even in windy weather it’s easy to catch the powerful scent of some of these city roses whilst walking along Amsterdam streets. It never fails to lift my spirits and is renowned as a tonic for the heart. As I see rose petals blowing around pavements on windy days I wish that more people knew how delicious and useful they are.

The simplest way to use them is raw, in salads or sandwiches.  Any scented (clean and pesticide free) rose petals will add velvety beauty to both. They have a pleasant, fragrant and astringent taste and can be used in a variety of foods.  At present my favourites are Rose Petal Cup Cakes and Rose Petal Butter.  More on the butter another time, for now here is the recipe for Rose Petal Cup Cakes – heavily inspired by a lovely baking blog called The Pink Whisk.

Rose Petal Cup Cakes (makes 12)

For the cakes
150g butter (that’s half a standard block)
140g caster sugar (that’s a lot – I’m working on a sugar free version)
100g self raising flour
50g plain (all purpose) flour
3 eggs
2 tablespoons Rose water
6 large pieces of Turkish delight (or dried apricots / crystallised ginger etc)

For the topping
Rosehip (NL: Rozenbottel) conserve
(such as the delicious, organic, sugar-free Fiordifrutta from Rigoni di Asiago)
Rose petals and stamens (scented, clean, pesticide free)

Preheat oven to 180 C and put paper cases into a 12 cupcake baking tray.
Cut the dried fruit or Turkish delight into twelve pieces.
Into each paper case add one piece of fruit or Turkish delight.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs, flour and rosewater, mixing well until a smooth consistency is achieved (I use a handheld mixer for this but a spoon and elbow grease will do equally well).
Half fill the paper cases with cake mixture.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a clean knife, inserted into a cake, comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from the baking tray and allow to cool completely on a rack.
When you are ready to serve the cakes, smear the top of each with a little Rosehip conserve and sprinkle with whole or torn Rose petals and a few stamens.
Enjoy!

Flower Fritters

Food, , , , , , , , ,

You may already know about Elderflower fritters, even if you have never tried one. Did you realise that many other herb flowers can be used to make even more delicious fritters?  Today I have been on the roof and in the park looking for suitable flowers and I was not disappointed.  I gathered Lady’s mantle, Yarrow and Chive flowers from the roof and plucked Rose petals from pollinated wild Dog Rose flowers in the park. I also gathered a few Honeysuckle blooms and of course a handful of frothy Elderflower heads.

I must say that I think it a waste to make some flowers into fritters, some taste so wonderful, untouched in salads or deserts that I don’t think they need be tampered with.  Others are a little bit messy and these are the ones I suggest you try in fritters.  Elderflower and for instance, is rather an unusual mouthful in it’s raw form and Yarrow flowers are just too strong for my palate.  Turned into fritters they become something quite different; Dandelion flowers resemble artichokes, Rose petals take on a slightly meaty texture, Yarrow becomes a savoury delight and Chives become mini onion baghees.

Here is my recipe for flower fritters, many others are available, often including beer, liquor, sugar and so on.  Mine simply uses my Yorkshire Gran’s batter recipe (it makes the best Yorkshire puddings in the world by the way). It does not contain any sweetening or seasoning so you can add a little whatever you wish to the basic recipe.  I do encourage you however to try a flower in the basic batter alone, at least once.  This will allow you to appreciate the true flavour of that flower.  Perhaps have some yoghurt and honey to hand for dipping.

Here are a few suggestions:
(Please follow the foraging rules and remember that some beautiful flowers are highly poisonous)

Dandelion Fritters – I suggest that you simply wash the flowers (with a little stalk still attached), dip them into a little flour (I prefer Chickpea flour), shake off the excess and then fry gently in a little Olive oil.
Elderflower – the sweet classic. Perhaps use a splash of rosewater and a teaspoon of sugar in the batter
Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust tree, False acacia) – I have not tried this, many American’s seem to like it.  Don’t confuse with poisonous Laburnum!
Rose petals or Rose flowers – slightly astringent and fragrant. Wild and cultivated Roses are edible.
Ladies mantle – Much of the bitterness is lost in cooking
Mint – Dip sprigs of young mint in the batter. Great with chocolate sauce.
Mallow – Petals or whole flowers with a little stalk attached
Onion flowers on short stalks
Chive flowers on short stalks
Lime tree blossom
Honeysuckle
Yarrow – Strongly savoury
Valerian
Meadowsweet
And many many more!

Basic batter recipe:
(Courtesy of Edith Shore)

  1. Break one egg into 3 tablespoons of plain flour.
  2. Mix the egg and flour thoroughly, using a fork.
  3. Add three tablespoons of milk (one tbsp at a time) whilst mixing with a metal spoon.
  4. Ensure everything is well combined.
  5. Beating well with the fork.
  6. Add a tiny drop of water.
  7. Whisk up well.  You should now see plenty of trapped air bubbles in a smooth mixture.
  8. Cover and set aside to rest in fridge, for at least half an hour and preferably overnight.
  9. Just before using, whisk up again with the whisk or fork.

The dipping and frying process is very easy:
herb-flower-fritters-002Simply dip one flower at a time into the batter.
Place in a small frying pan which contains about 1/2 cm of medium-hot Olive oil and or butter.
herb-flower-fritters-003Several flowers can be cooked at once.
Keep a good eye on the pan and budge the fritters around a little with a wooden spoon.
herb-flower-fritters-004When they are golden brown they should be cooked through and ready to serve with a little of your preference – honey, sugar, cream, yoghurt, chocolate sauce…

Beltane Herbs

Food, Wild herbs, , , , , , , , , , ,

May Day, also known as Beltane in the Pagan calendar, is traditionally a day steeped in herbal lore. May 1st marks the end of the colder months and heralds the start of summer. It is a fire festival day where fires were burned on hill tops to encourage the sun’s warmth down to the earth. Beltane is half way through the Pagan year, it is strongly linked to fertility and many enduring customs pertain to this.

Not far from my childhood Bristol home, there still stands rather a phallic Maypole, on Iron Acton Common. Villagers will no doubt be dancing around it this Sunday and spectators may not realise that as those pretty ribbons are intertwined around the pole, a symbolic birth canal is being made around the phallus.  That part of the custom certainly passed me by as I enjoyed being an infant school May Queen.   In Minehead, Somerset and several Cornish towns, Hobby Horses (or Obby Osses) will be raising dawn sleepers, with raucous dancing and music over the few days following May Day.   The reason for this also evaded me whilst I lived in Minehead and tried to enjoy a good lie-in. I am pleased these traditions live on.

So back to the Beltane herbal customs and tasty treats…

  • May Dew: At sunrise on Beltane it is customary to rush out into the garden or fields and wipe your face in May Dew, particularly dew gathered on a Hawthorn tree.  This is thought to have magical properties, including the ability to beautify the complexion for the coming year.
  • Hawthorn: This beautiful and helpful herb tree is known by some as the May Tree.  Hawthorn boughs were often harvested at Beltane and the flowers used as gifts and to beautify homes.
  • Herb Gathering: Herbs start to flower a-plenty at this time of year hence Beltane is traditionally a time to go out with family and friends, a simple picnic, a basket and gather some wild herb flowers.  If you like the idea of this, please remember that annuals rely solely on those precious flowers to create seed for next year’s plants. Leave plenty, harvest just a few (perennials) and avoid rare and protected plants.  Try to use the herbs you harvest in some way or give them away to someone in need.
  • Flower Garlands: It is also customary to make beautiful flower garlands on May Day.  Why not choose plentiful daisies and dandelions?  Both are useful herbs, you may like to use when you get home or toss your flower garlands away with a wish, into flowing water.
  • May Bowl:  This is a delicious drink made from Woodruff (Galium odoratum – it looks very like cleavers (Galium aparine) but it is in flower at the moment, looking like swathes of sugary white froth across woodland floors – when you can find it!). Here’s the simplest recipe I know (many variations are available if you have a taste for it):
    8 cups of white wine
    2 cups of fresh, clean Woodruff – chopped, preferably in bud or flower
    1 tablespoon of grated orange zest
    sugar to taste. Pour the wine over the Woodruff and chill in a sealed glass container overnight. Strain off the Woodruff and add other ingredients. Drink in clear glasses, May Bowl is a beautiful pale green color and tastes fragrantly of Woodruff.
  • Oat Cakes (Bannocks): An old Scottish custom is to make a Beltane Oat Cake and to share it between friends who would stand around the Beltane fire and each break off a small peice of the nobbly cake.  They would then cast it over their shoulder whilst saying a line, asking that something precious be protected by something usually linked with it’s destruction (such as chickens or sheep to be protected by the wolves or foxes).
    Here’s a simple recipe (and photo) for Beltane Oat Cake taken from RampantScotland.com. They look very tasty! Traditionally this food would be cooked in the embers of a Beltane fire, a heavy based frying pan or oven will work well instead.

“Beltane Bannocks from Rampant Scotland.com
Ingredients
4 oz (125g) medium oatmeal
2 teaspoons melted fat (bacon fat, if available, butter or ghee will work well)
2 pinches of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 tablespoons hot water
Additional oatmeal for kneading

Method
Mix the oatmeal, salt and bicarbonate and pour in the melted fat into the centre of the mixture. Stir well, using a porridge stick if you have one and add enough water to make into a stiff paste. Cover a surface in oatmeal and turn the mixture onto this. Work quickly as the paste is difficult to work if it cools. Divide into two and roll one half into a ball and knead with hands covered in oatmeal to stop it sticking. Roll out to around quarter inch thick. Put a plate which is slightly smaller than the size of your pan over the flattened mixture and cut round to leave a circular oatcake. Cut into quarters (also called farls) and place in a heated pan which has been lightly greased. Cook for about 3 minutes until the edges curl slightly, turn, and cook the other side. Get ready with another oatcake while the first is being cooked.

An alternative method of cooking is to bake them in an oven at Gas5/375F/190C for about 30 minutes or until brown at the edges. The quantities above will be enough for two bannocks about the size of a dessert plate. If you want more, do them in batches rather than making larger quantities of mixture. Store in a tin and reheat in a moderate oven when required.”

Additional note – 1st May 2011 – I made this recipe this morning and added too much butter so I couldn’t form a dough, it became more a crumble. Determined not to waste the mixture, I cooked it gently in a small heavy frying pan and then combined the rich oatmeal with some framage frais, feta cheese and finely chopped tomato.  It became a pate type consistency and was really very tasty.  It was also possible to shape into balls.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, NL:Paardenbloem) – Ways to eat it

Food, Foraging, Wild herbs

Dandelion flowers abound in Amsterdam! Don’t they just look wonderful?  Whether you find this plant a pest or a blessing, those woolly, yellow flowers, atop long toothed leaves, rarely fail to catch the eye and could help to keep you healthy.

Most people can easily recognise Dandelion, it has been used medicinally for hundreds of years and well worth understanding.  Taraxacum officinale is amongst the most common weed-herbs in urban areas.  Those magical clock heads, full of parachute assisted seeds, can spread far and wide from mother plants. It can colonise most urban spaces including balcony and rooftop pots. It loves nitrogen rich soil but can manage in most sunny locations. If you walk through a city park this week I am confident that you will be met by hundreds of cheerful dandelion flowers.

Dandelion is known as a bitter herb but it is also salty and sweet. It works as an internal cleanser. As with other bitter greens, the taste stimulates bile secretion. When first taking or eating this herb it can act as an effective laxative and strong diuretic. It loosens things up as Susun Weed says in her extensive writings on the herb in Healing Wise (also contains lots of recipes not listed here).  Amongst other things Dandelion contains high levels of several vitamins and inulin which can help to regulate blood sugar levels. It is packed with nutrients and is helpful for a great many disorders. Dandelions that are at least two years old contain higher concentration of inulin so are more useful medicinally.

A beautiful dandelion found it’s way into one of my roof terrace perma-pots last year. Its leaves and flowers will be gracing my table in the next few weeks – but how? What to do with Dandelion to  make it taste really good rather than just something that tastes good for you?  Here are a few ideas:

Italian Dandelions
Large Dandelions are apparently only eaten cooked in Italy and are known as Catalogna.  The toughest darker leaves are not eaten and Italian recipes call only for those closest to the heart of the plant.  Puntarelle is a smaller Italian dandelion variety which is sometimes eaten raw, served with oil, salt and pepper. With both sizes, the leaves cut into strips and the Puntarelle may then be soaked in cold water, whereupon they curl up attractively.  Serve dressed with oil, vinegar and perhaps chopped anchovy.

Italian cooked dandelion (From The Silver Spoon cookbook)
Cut the tops of inner leaves into strips.  If you have access to lots of Dandelions, allow about 200g (7oz) per serving. Cook through (15 -20 minutes) in salted boiling water and serve hot dressed with olive oil, salt and vinegar or lemon juice.

Dandelion with garlic and olive oil (From The Silver Spoon cookbook)
Cook 1 kg sliced dandelion leaves in salted boiling water for 15 mins.  Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add 4 whole garlic cloves, stirring as they fry gently, to become golden brown but not burned.  Remove and discard the garlic cloves, reserve the resultant garlic oil in the pan.  Add the cooked dandelion strips to the garlic oil and cook on a slightly higher heat for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste with chili powder if desired.

Dandelion with Parmesan (From The Silver Spoon cookbook)
Cook 750g sliced dandelion leaves in salted boiling water for 15 mins.  Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Chop coarsely and place in a warm serving dish.  Melt 65g butter in a small pan and when it turns slightly golden pour it over the dandelions. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Other Ideas:
Add chopped Dandelion root to Kitchadi – Kitchidi is an easy to make, nutritious, easily digested, traditional one pot Indian dish. Lentils and rice are cooked together with some vegetables.  Find a recipe that appeals and add some chopped Dandelion root.

Ayurvedic dark leafy greens
Cook a good handful of Dandelion leaves in boiling water and strain. Perhaps save the cooking water for soup if not too bitter.  Then brown ½ tsp cumin seeds and then add 1 tsp coriander powder to brown lightly (in ghee) in a skillet.  Add to the drained greens and serve immediately.

Dandelion leaf Juice
If you enjoy making fruit and vegetable juices, consider adding a few Dandelion leaves to the mix.

Dandelion and Burdock cordial
There are many recipes online and in traditional British cook books.  Here’s a simple recipe.

Dandelion leaf  and flower salad
I think this speaks for itself.  Simply add a few Dandelion leaves and flowers/petals to salads.  It looks great and tastes far more robust than lettuce.

Dandelion flower fritters/pancakes
Simply add whole flowers or petals to a regular pancake or fritter batter.

Dandelion Flower Pickles
You need to collect tightly closed flower heads for this recipe.  Here’s a very interesting pickle making link.

Dandelion Confiture (Cramailotte)
Thank you Sonja for passing on this idea.  Here’s a link to the recipe in Dutch, others in English can be found online.

Dandelion Root Coffee
Made by roasting cleaned, chopped dandelion root.

Dandelion Wine
Delicious!  Many recipes available, here’s one adapted  from the Self Sufficientish website…

Ingredients:
About a bucket full of dandelion heads
2 litres of boiling water
Juice of 2 lemons
1kg sugar
1 teaspoon of yeast

Method:
Put flower heads within a muslin/jelly bag, in a bucket and pour over one kettle of boiling hot water.
Mash it ( with a masher and within the muslin/jelly bag) to extract all the “juice”.
Allow to cool and filter through more muslin into a demijohn.
Make up sugar syrup by mixing the remaining 1litre of water with the sugar.
Allow to cool again and add the yeast.
Top up the demijohn with water and insert airlock correctly.
Leave to ferment then syphon and bottle.

Dandelion leaf Tea
Used by some to treat various disorders such as eczema and as a general tonic. Chop leaves and infuse as a tea.  Can be taken freely.

Dandelion blossom tea
As for leaf tea.  The petals themselves are far less bitter and more pleasant tasting than the green sepals beneath so perhaps pluck the petals out and use alone.  Can be taken freely.

Dandelion Tincture
Pack a sterile glass jar with clean chopped dandelion herb (all parts) and fill all spaces with vodka.  Leave, sealed, in a coolish place for 4 – 6 weeks.  Strain and take as desired.  Can be taken freely but of course it is mostly vodka.  Most take a teaspoon daily.

Here are a few other online recipes which may be interesting…

Curried Dandelion

Dandelion Fried Rice

Dandelion Columbo

Dandelion Saute

Dandelion Sesame

Dandelion Flower Biscuits

The uses for Dandelion are apparently endless!  I am now off to try it as a skin tonic…