Fried Dandelion Flower Food

DEEP-FRIED DANDELIONS

Steps:

• Wash dandelions under cool running water and dry on paper towels. Remove the green tendrils behind each flower.
• Mix flour, curry powder, and salt together in a bowl or measuring cup. Beat egg in a bowl; stir in flour mixture until smooth. Add beer to mixture until batter is similar to runny pancake batter. Add more beer if batter is too thick.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). If you don't have a thermometer, heat the oil until it begins to shimmer.
• Dip dandelion flowers in the batter and gently drop in the hot oil, working in batches. Fry flowers until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked flowers to crumpled paper towels or on a wire rack; serve warm.

DEEP FRIED DANDELION BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• 1. Find dandelions that have not been sprayed with herbicide or other poisons.
• 2. Gather the blossoms shortly before cooking them. Dandelion blossoms are at the peak of freshness soon after you pick them.
• 3. Rinse in cold water & drain.
• 4. *Prepare the blossoms. The yellow blossom is sweet, but the green is bitter. Holding by the stem in left hand, pinch off the dried green petals underneath.
• 5. Now, cut the stem off just even with the base of the flower as shown. The green petals that are sucked up close to the yellow petals are OK to leave on. Would be too hard to remove & doesn't leave an unfavorable taste.
• 6. In small bowl, prepare the egg wash with the egg & milk.
• 7. Heat about 1 1/2" of canola oil in cast iron skillet, if you have one. I heat on high heat.
• 8. Drop all of your blossoms in egg wash.
• 9. Shake off excess liquid & place in your dry mix & coat. Shake off excess.
• 10. Be sure to have all of your blossoms coated before you put the first one in, as you will want to drop in hot grease, one at a time, & keep doing this until you have several in there, single depth. Don't overcrowd them.
• 11. Using a straining or slotted spoon, keep turning them & tossing them to make sure both sides are cooked thoroughly. They cook really fast, so keep on the ball with them. Always remember: they will keep cooking after they leave the grease, so don't wait until they are dark brown to remove them. Just a golden brown.
• 12. Remove from grease & place on paper towels to drain, on oven proof dish. Cover with paper towels also & place in 200° oven while you cook more or let them eat them as they come out of the skillet.
• 13. These should be nice & crispy & remain that way even when cold. Enjoy!!

DANDELION FRITTERS

Steps:

• When picking dandelions, pinch blossoms off from top of stems. Fill a medium bowl with 4 cups of cool water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and lemon juice. Place dandelions in the bowl and push them down into the water several times to clean them. Drain dandelions upside down on paper towels.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and chile powder. Add thyme, and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Pour egg mixture into flour and stir until well combined to form a batter.
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Gently dip each flower into batter. Carefully place in hot oil; do not crowd. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes, turn, and fry 1 more minute if necessary. Drain on paper towels. Salt lightly. Serve hot as hors d'oeuvres or a side dish.

FRIED DANDELION FLOWER

Steps:

• Beat the egg and add the milk. Whisk in the flour and seasonings. You can dip the flowers and fry immediately, but the batter stays on better if it's refrigerated for a half hour or so.
• When the batter is lightly browned, lift the flowers out of the oil and drain them on paper towels.

FRIED DANDELION BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Wash dandelion blossoms in salted water (about 3 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water) rinse throughly and pat semi-dry on a towel.
• Mix flour, salt and pepper in large zip-lock bag; add dandelion blossoms and shake until coated.
• Fry in hot oil until browned. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste.
• Don't forget you can use the dandelion leaves in a salad.