Dandelion and walnut pesto - anyone tried it?!

pom-pom, Jan 16, 6:58am
I'm surfing trying to think of new ways to use up the heap of walnuts I've been given (yum!) I have just moved and left my herb gardenbehind so no basil or coriander! I now have enormous weeds instead so this sounds ideal. Anyone ever made it! If so what was it like! The recipe I have found is as follows:

Dandelion Walnut Pesto
2 good handfuls of fresh dandelion greens (washed)
1 c olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 c toasted walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

blend in a food processor, serve! YUMMY!

from http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-thingsdandelion-walnut-pesto.html

tjman, Jan 16, 7:01am
Haven't tried.What about roast beetroot walnut and blue/ or feta chesse salad

pom-pom, Jan 16, 8:58am
Mmm sounds good - am going to do a warm walnut bacon and blue cheese/gorgonzola salad. I'm going to try the pesto just for the hell of it - hey gotta make good use of the weeds in these times of economic hardship!

buzzy110, Jan 16, 10:23am
Dandelion, like puha, is probably high in oxalate. I personally wouldn't eat it raw for that reason. Apart from the not-so-good effects it can have, it tastes very bitter. My mother was taught ancient lore, some of which she passed on to me and eating puha and dandelion raw was NOT something she encouraged.

elliehen, Jan 16, 10:26am
DANDELION HONEY
1 ice cream pail dandelion flowers
2 quarts water (approx)
2 lemons, cut up
8 & 1/2 cups sugar (approx)

In large saucepan, boil first 4 ingredients for 15 minutes.Let sit 24 hours; strain.To liquid, add sugar.Boil at low boil for 2 hours or until quite thick.Put in jars; let cool.Seal.

Source: 'Pioneer Women of the Yukon' Cookbook, Dawson City, Yukon, June 1995

buzzy110, Jan 16, 10:26am
Have you considered baklava! I haven't got a recipe at present, but I can look up my Pita The Great recipe book and get back to you late tomorrow night.

elliehen, Jan 16, 10:29am
Any rampant nasturtiums in your garden pom-pom!

STUFFED NASTURTIUMS

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbspn mayonnaise
2 Tbspn thick cream
2 Tbsp cream cheese
3 hardboiled eggs
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
12 Nasturtium flowers
12 Nasturtium leaves
oil & vinegar dressing
salt & pepper to taste

Blend the chopped eggs with the butter, mayonnaise, cream and cheese, mixing with a wooden spoon.Add parsely, black pepper and salt.Spoon the mixture into the centre of each flower and press in firmly. Arrange the Nasturtium leaves on a platter and sprinkle with oil and vinegar.Place the stuffed flowers on the leaves around the outside of the platter.Fill the gap in the centre with any left-over mixture.Sprinkle with chopped walnuts to garnish.

Source: Old New Zealand Queenstown cookbook

elliehen, Jan 16, 10:31am
Or gorse!

AUNT DAISY'S GORSE WINE
1/2 gallon gorse flowers
1 gallon water
2 oz root ginger
1 oz compressed yeast
3 lb demerara sugar or best brown
1 orange
1 lemon

Simmer flowers, water and ginger together for 15 minutes.Stir in sugar till dissolved.Slice orange and lemon, and add to cooling liquid.When lukewarm, spread yeast on piece of toast, and float on top.Cover with folded blanket; leave undisturbed for a week.Then skim off head.Strain into jar, allow to work another week before corking lightly.A few raisins and a lump of sugar keep it lively.

davidt4, Jan 16, 9:50pm
Beetroot, Walnut and Ricotta Salad
(Neil Perry)

4 beetroot
olive oil
3 tab red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 baby cos lettuce
½ c walnuts, roasted and broken roughly
250g ricotta or soft goat cheese or feta

Wrap the beetroot tightly in foil with1 tab vinegar, a little oil, salt, pepper and 2 tab water.Roast 1 hour until tender .Cool a little, peel and quarter.Place in a bowl with a little more oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

Arrange lettuce on flat plate, beetroot on top,then walnuts, then lumps of ricotta.Drizzle with more oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

davidt4, Jan 16, 9:52pm
Warm Salad of Silver Beet, Blue Cheese & Walnuts

100g walnuts
approx 8 large stalks of silver beet
2 tab extra virgin olive oil
100g strong blue cheese (e.g. gorgonzola)

Heat oven to 180C.Roast walnuts 10 minutes or until a deep golden brown.Tip into a tea towel and rub skins off.

Trim silverbeet and discard stems.Place leaves in a large pan with the oil over medium heat.Cover and cook for a few minutes until the leaves start to wilt.Remove lid, add walnuts and cheese, replace lid and shake pan to distribute.Cook a few minutes more until the cheese starts to melt and the leaves have wilted.

Serve hot

pom-pom, Jan 18, 12:53am
Thank you buzzy - I will steer clear but have pursuaded my neighbour to part with a vast quantity of basil in return for a jar of the pesto. Much better solution! The walnut blue cheese salad was great and I'm going to roast them to remove the skins (well some of the skin) and then grind them for meal. I have also used them to convert GF cornflakes into gluten free honey walnut cornflakes as a treat for my daughter. Yum! Still got a few kgs to go but there's a 101 uses!

pom-pom, Jan 18, 12:54am
Very similar to the saald I made - it's wonderful and perfect for this time of year. Thanks David.

picxie, Jan 18, 5:10am
I have eaten walnut and capsicum pesto before. Very, very tasty!

pom-pom, Jan 18, 8:07am
I feel a morning playing in the kitchen with my food processor coming on - I have heaps of capsicum!

amazing_grace, Jan 18, 8:30am
Using Walnuts.I often make Walnut and Parsley pesto, which we call "winter pesto".

1/2c walnuts
1 pottle cream
1/2c chopped parsley
1T butter
3 cloves garlic

Whizz all together till smooth paste, stir in some grated cheese.Stir into hot cooked pasta

tehenga288, Jan 18, 9:11am
Use the dandelion leaves - just make sure you use the young leaves

pom-pom, Jan 16, 6:58am
I'm surfing trying to think of new ways to use up the heap of walnuts I've been given (yum!) I have just moved and left my herb gardenbehind so no basil or coriander! I now have enormous weeds instead so this sounds ideal. Anyone ever made it! If so what was it like! The recipe I have found is as follows:

Dandelion Walnut Pesto
2 good handfuls of fresh dandelion greens (washed)
1 c olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 c toasted walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

blend in a food processor, serve! YUMMY!

from http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-thingsdandelion-walnut-pesto.html

uli, Jan 17, 3:52am
Dandelion Fritters (Kimberly Gallagher)

First of all gather the dandelion flowers – just the tops for fritters.They are easy to pick and so bright and cheery on a sunny day.Make the fritters right after gathering.

Mix together one egg and one cup of milk.Stir in a cup of flour and your fritter batter is ready to go.(If you like your fritters sweet you can add a little maple syrup or honey.)

Prepare a skillet on the stove with gently warmed olive oil – keep it over medium heat.

Take one of the flowers and hold it by the greens at the base of the flower petals. Dip the petals into the batter and twirl until the flower is covered.

Drop it into the skillet, flower side down.Continue dipping and dropping flowers, checking the first ones every once in a while to see if they are brown.When they’ve lightly browned, flip them over and brown them on the other side.

When they’re brown on both sides remove them from the skillet and drain the excess oil on paper towel.

For a sweet treat, drizzle them with maple syrup, honey, jam, or powdered sugar.For savory fritters try dipping in mustard or adding some savory herbs to the batter.

A second method for fritter making is to pull the dandelion flower petals from the green base and add the petals to the batter.Then you can cook them up just like pancakes.