Slivered Dandelion Greens with Chorizo
1 bunch of dandelion greens, any unappetizing-looking stalks removed (or substitute collard greens)
~ 1T. olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 - 1/2 t. red pepper flakes, to taste
4 oz of dry chorizo, cut into small piecesStack the dandelion greens and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch ribbons.
Heat olive oil in a skillet or chef’s pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add dandelion greens and saute for 2-3 minutes, until greens are wilted. Stir in red pepper flakes and chorizo and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Enjoy!
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Whether foraged from the backyard or purchased at the farmer’s market, dandelion greens occupy a special place in my heart during the spring. Their bitter bite enlivens my palate and makes sweetness even sweeter. Dandelion greens rarely slink quietly into the background as spinach or swiss chard sometimes does — they announces their presence with bravado and flair — love them or hate them, dandelions are one of spring’s most unique offerings.
I purchased this bunch of dandelion greens from the High Ground Organics stand at the Mountain View Farmer’s market this past weekend. These, along with some strawberries, young fava beans, fresh eggs, and green garlic were the finds of the day. Wandering through the market I felt both peaceful and at ease, grateful to live in such a bountiful food shed, and also happy to be supporting my local economy.
Such is not the case as of late in other parts of the world. In Egypt, Bangladesh, and Haiti (and other places too), people are rioting due to the skyrocketing cost of food staples — rice and wheat in particular — due much in part to the export of commodity crops for consumption in the western world. In the past year alone the price of wheat has risen 120%, and in the past TWO MONTHS, the price of rice has risen 70%. According to this CNN article, a 2-kilo bag of rice in Bangladesh now consumes half the daily income of a poor family. Really, just TRY to imagine that — imagine that your food needs for the day cost HALF of your salary — take your yearly salary, drop the ‘thousands’, and divide in half; this is roughly your ‘hourly’ rate; now multiply that times 4, and that is how much a bag of rice would cost you — imagine a five pound bag of rice that costs $50 or $100 or $200. It is, of course, impossible to make an apples to apples comparison here, but I still find this little exercise very alarming.
But what can I do? My answer to this is to opt out of the broken, industrial food and energy system of America. Small actions like buying locally, using less fuel (ride a bike, ride a motorcycle instead of a car, buy a hybrid, convert your diesel car to run on vegetable oil), eating less meat, eating less processed food, and even simply becoming more informed can all make a difference. By simply being mindful of your consumption and of the waste you produce, it is possible to become much more aware of how connected we all are.
One of the things I mentioned above was the idea of eating less meat — many of us are quite used to having meat at every meal and also that it is the centerpiece of the plate. This recipe highlights the idea that meat need not be the centerpiece of a meal — a few small bites of potent, garlicky chorizo add a lot of flavor to this dish (and satisfy my carnivorous partner’s desire for daily meat). Alongside the dandelion greens I served a hearty portion of skillet roasted celeraic and potatoes (recipe to follow soon), a sectioned cara-cara orange, and a glass of Spanish Rioja for a satisfying meal (with only about 1 oz of meat per person). (Also note, the dandelion greens wouldn’t suffer if you omitted the chorizo — just add a little extra oil, garlic, and pepper flakes for some additional kick — a lovely vegan side dish, in my opinion).
I would love to hear what YOU think about the global food shortages, and also what you think the role of meat is in our diets — are you vegetarian? vegan? complete carnivore? ethical omnivore?
Still Hungry? Try one of these:
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Comments
This entry was posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 8:45 pm and is filed under Dandelion Greens, Garlic, Onion, Succulent Spices, Veritable Vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Wow, that looks delicious!
I was more or less a vegetarian for twenty years — until I recently found sources for locally pasture-raised meats. I do try to treat meat as just another ingredient rather than as the center of the meal — I use a lot of ground meats in soups and sauces, saute veggies for a main dish in diced bacon, add diced chicken to a rice dish, etc. Meat can be a responsible choice in small amounts.
I love meat. I love it so much. But, we are setting our sites on 80 percentage vegetarian and 20 percent meaty. right now we are sort of 50/50. We are doing this for our health (we all feel better with more veg in our diet) and also the environment. As for dandelions, I think this would be wonderful without the chorizo for sure.
Valereee - I’ve gotten into a similar routine with the exceptions:
1)fresh fish/shellfish — as an ingredient in a dish, fish doesn’t really do it for me, but as a simple fillet etc, I enjoy it… and sushi - ah! my weakness…
2)roasted chicken (but the leftovers definitely get used as ingredients later in the week though)
I think the ‘meat as an ingredient’ idea is a happy middle ground that most people could achieve if they wanted to
maybelles mom - tell us how you really feel :) There are some meats I love (pork/sausage/bacon), some that I like every now and again (beef), and some that I could totally do without (chicken). Re: chicken, I never liked it at all until I started buying pastured chicken — it actually tastes like something!
my goal is to be an ethical omnivore. right now i’m more of a well-intentioned carnivore, although i am careful to buy organic and local, and stay away from factory farmed meat and dairy. i have a ways to go though.
What a wonderful post! And very well said. I think we tend to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the national and global problems which can lead to feeling paralyzed, incapable of making a difference. But what you point out — that simply being more mindful is a great place to start— can’t be emphasized enough.
I do eat meat, mostly local, mostly as a condiment or side dish. I try to eat everything as locally as possibly and when I can’t (it’s not easy where I live because the growing season is so short; even farmers’ markets are open only May - Sept), I buy organic from the local co-op and natural food store. I have what some would say is a ridiculously large garden for two empty nesters, but by freezing, canning, drying and root cellaring I can usually make it through quite happily until fresh stuff is once again abundant.
Driving is a huge issue for me. I live 20 miles from the co-op, 7 miles from where the closest farmers’ market is held and also from the closest ‘regular’ supermarket. I feel held captive by my car…so I simply refuse to drive more than three days a week, bundling errands, shopping, appointments, and social engagements very carefully.
Everyone can do something. And it all matters. Thanks Jenn!
[…] a fellow-blogger’s post about that article here. There is also a good discussion going at Modern Beet, where Jen has raised some questions about our food choices and what each of us can do, complete […]
Michelle - Thanks for commenting! I like your term ‘well-intentioned carnivore’ — I don’t think that one can become an ethical omnivore without first going this phase
Deborah - I totally hear you on the feeling of being held captive by your car — I’ve thought about this a lot and am trying to figure out what to do. Both my boyfriend and I have cars, though I think we could get by with just one and something like a scooter or small motorcycle. However, my car runs on waste vegetable oil, so I don’t feel too bad about driving… :)
And btw, I’m very impressed that you are able to produce enough food to sustain you through the winter! Similarly, have you ever considered buying a ‘cow share’ (or a lamb share or pig share) from a local rancher? I like the idea of it, but it requires a good amount of freezer space which I don’t have in my current tiny apartment
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Hello. I found you through my friend Deborah at Exuberant Lady. I too am horrified by the sky rocketing food costs in the poorest of countries and sickened by the complicity of our commodity crop system in the whole affair. Michael Pollan had a new piece in the New York Times this Sunday that asked the question “Why Bother” (when things are so obviously so far gone on so many fronts). And of course, his answers are both hard-hitting and hopeful and, as usual, start in the garden. We can’t give up…in our gardens, our communities or in whatever arena we can have influence. I do my share of conventionally political things, but for me personal example is still the best political message. So I am cheered and inspired to read so many testimonials that people are doing what they can. Thank you! TJ
Oops. Just to clarify. I TRY to make it through the winter on what I have put by. I’m getting closer to success but I’m not there yet. There will always be things I love and can’t source locally in my climate —olives, seafood, nuts, citrus, certain cheeses, etc. —and so I allow myself a few things and try to be vigilant about the rest.
I do belong to a CSA June - October (and buy the package that includes local meat and dairy). And I do have freezer space, so I stock up on chickens and grass fed beef at the farmer’s market as well. Every little bit helps, right? (Alas. There are no local lamb producers.)
The car thing weights heavily on me. A bike or scooter is a solution in my climate only about 6 months of the year. And there is NO mass transit (too rurual). So…for now, anyway, just saying no to driving most days of the week is my answer. Good thing I’m semi-retired and work at home!
TJ - Thanks for stopping by! I read the Michael Pollan article in the NYTimes, and as always, liked what he had to say. It’s interesting to think of planting a garden as an environmentalist/political act; I consider shopping at the Farmer’s Market to be in a similar vein — whatever I can do to opt out of our broken, dominated by agribiz, high-fructose-corn-syrup loving food system counts in my book
Deborah - one other thing I wanted to mention about getting food from outside your food shed has to do with the definition of ‘local’ — The opposite of ‘local’ isn’t necessarily ’somewhere else’ — to me the opposite of ‘local’ is ‘produced in an unsustainable manner by agribusiness’; if a producer follows sustainable practices but is located in a different state, I’ll definitely consider buying from them
This looks great. I usually go to the Union City farmers’ market, but I don’t think I’ve seen dandelion greens… I’ll have to look harder. I’m a vegetarian, but I end up being vegan about 95% of the time. I don’t intentionally cook with eggs and dairy, but I’m not going to fuss if they’re in something that I order at a restaurant. My honey is not a vegetarian, but I’ve gotten him hooked on things like tofurkey deli slices, seitan, and other yummy meat alternatives. I hope that this kind of diet is helping the planet… Happy earth day!
magpie — you’re probably already familiar with it, but just in case — have you ever tried tempeh bacon? I can’t remember who makes it, but it’s in a light maroon package and is available at every natural foods store I’ve ever been to. I’m not a vegetarian, but I buy it every now and again and really like it. Actually, I think that would make a good substitute for the chorizo in this recipe…
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