May 2012 will go down in my personal record books as especially hot, dry, and pretty much morel-less. I only found a handful of morels this year and that definitely was not enough to satisfy my mushroom cravings. So, I did what any worn-out forager would do with an empty gathering bag, I bought the morels. Needless to say, the morels weren’t cheap and they definitely weren’t choice—heck, they weren’t even homegrown but imported from Michigan!
Now that spring has come and gone, I know that there are many fungi fanatics who didn’t get a chance to enjoy a savory batch of fried morel mushrooms. Never fret, for there is a readily available and just as tasty alternative. I am talking about dandelions, that beautiful yet troublesome weed that heralds in spring and invades our summer lawns and nasal passages. While there are many culinary uses for the dandelion, dandelion blossoms in particular, when fried, have the uncanny taste of fried morels mushrooms—really!
How to Fry Dandelion Blossoms
Collect dandelion blossom tops that are fresh and fully opened. (And that haven’t been sprayed with herbicides or poisons!)
Soak the blossoms very briefly (no longer than 15 minutes) in salt water to remove any buggies that might be hiding in the petals. Avoid over soaking! It’s not necessary and the blossoms will become mushy and tasteless. Don’t fret over rinsing out every single minuscule buggie. A little protein never hurt anyone.
Mix up your favorite dry coating. I like a simple half and half mixture of all-purpose flour and corn starch, generously seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.
Carefully heat vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. The oil will be hot enough for frying when a bit of dry coating dropped into the skillet sizzles immediately.
Dip the dandelions, blossom side down, into the dry mixture and coat completely. (Eggheads may prefer to drench the dandelions in an egg bath first. Both methods are yummy!)
Carefully drop the dandelions, blossom side down, into the hot oil. Fry for about 30 seconds or until the edges start to turn golden. Flip gently with a fork and continue frying until blossoms are a uniform and appetizing light golden brown (about 30 more seconds).
Quickly place the fried dandelions on a plate (layered with paper towels to absorb the grease), and salt immediately while still hot!
Allow a couple of minutes for the fried dandelions to cool, then enjoy!
Alright, they might not taste exactly like fried morels, but dandelions are a heck of a lot easier to hunt and are much cheaper than buying fresh or dried morels at the Farmer’s Market!
Fun fact: Dandelions are found throught out the world and are know by many nicknames such as Lion’s Tooth, Earth Nail, Swine Snout, Wish Flower, even Dog Pisses!
Ive eaten dandelions like that for years, oh soooo good :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids literally go outside in search of dandelions and ask the neighbors for theirs so we can fry up a bunch. I figure we all have healthy livers since dandelions are a super food for the liver.
I did not realize that over soaking took some of their taste away. Im glad to know that because we sometimes get busy and let them soak all day.