Dandelion Avocado Gazpacho with Deep-water Prawns

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If you are a fanatic for the perfectly manicured lawns then you are probably extremely wary about the ubiquitous common dandelions! Our early memories are probably those of threading the vibrant yellow flowers on a string to wear as necklaces or trumpeting on the stalks until the milky liquid stuck to the lips. The last thing we thought of back then was eating any part of the dandelion!

However, this unimposing little weed is quickly becoming a bit of a delicacy and is slowly growing from the soil as a mighty superfood. Fresh dandelion greens have a mild, pleasant, slightly bitter flavor and are available at many health food stores. If one would eschew chemical fertilizers and other lawn treatments one might consider controlling dandelions by harvesting them.

Dandelion greens compare favorably in nutritional content to other commonly consumed green vegetables, providing four times as much calcium, 1.5 times as much vitamin A and 7.5 times as much vitamin K as broccoli. This leafy green vegetable also contains twice as much iron and three times as much riboflavin as spinach, and, while spinach provides no vitamin E or carotenoids, dandelion greens boast 17 percent of the daily adult dose of vitamin E and 13,610 international units, or IUs, of lutein and zeaxanthin per 3.5-ounce serving.

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It was not until I moved to Weimar did I learn that one could actually prepare not only dandelion greens but also the flowers in the kitchen. My best friend AK told me stories of how as children they would forage the fields around their house, filling baskets with the bright yellow flowers. Once home together with her mother she would cook the flowers for several hours with sugar reducing it to make a thick honey-like spread – Dandelion Honey!

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As part of my project with the Thuringian Tourist Board (TTG) I learnt that Thuringia has a whole festival called “Mellichstöckdooch“ dedicated to this wonder-food. On an early Spring Saturday morning it starts with a hiking tour around several routes collecting dandelions as the route is followed to the festival. Once there cooks and chefs on-location in a variety of cooking tents prepare a plethora of thrilling dishes all made with the dandelion.

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It was my friend AK who introduced me to the greens all those years back mostly for salads but slowly I learnt to use them often in pestos, Indian vegetable dishes and in frittatas. This summer I created this light and refreshing gazpacho for the TTG and am excited to share the recipe with you

Recipe: Dandelion Avocado Gazpacho with Deep-water Prawns

By
Prep Time:
Total Time: + refrigeration
Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cucumber (450g), peeled and seeds removed
  • 1 bunch dandelion leaves (150g), coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and coarsely sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons sweet mustard
  • 200g natural yoghurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Piment d’Espelette
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons Lemon juice
  • 100g deep-water prawns
  • 2-3 tablespoons Creme Fraiche
  • 1 bunch radish sprouts

 

Method

  1. Place the garlic, cucumber, dandelion leaves, avocado, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and yogurt in a food processor and blitz everything until puréed and smooth.
  2. Season with salt with salt, pepper, Piment d’Espelette and lemon juice and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  3. Fill the chilled gazpacho in glasses, place a dollop of of creme fraiche in each glass, top off with a few deep-water prawns and radish sprouts. Sprinkle with some Piment d’Espelette. Decorate with some dandelion flowers and serve.

Verdict

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Light, refreshing, cooling with explosive flavors of piment d’esplette, garlic and a hint of sweet mustard they add a fantastic highlight to the whole gazpacho. I top it with the deep-water prawns to give an exquisite finish to the dish.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been busy travelling to Vienna and London for my workshops, both of which were immensely fantastic – I am looking forward to taking you on a virtual tour to both with me soon. In between this I have been working on some magnificent photo jobs from, ice creams to oriental food, cakes, asparagus and strawberries and as you read this I am on my way to an exciting photo job that does have me smiling from ear to ear – I will be shooting some dishes for my favorite starred chef in his restaurant for a big German magazine – Der Feinschmecker. Wish me luck!

You might like these refreshing ideas from WFLH:

Watermelon Peach Feta Salad (0005) by Meeta K. Wolff oasted Fennel Soup with Pernod and Smoked Salmon (0027) by Meeta K. Wolff Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Garlic Tomatoes, Hazelnuts and a Quince and Pear Vinaigrette  (0018) by Meeta K. Wolff
Minty Peach and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese Roasted Fennel Soup with Pernod and Smoked Salmon Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Garlic Tomatoes, Hazelnuts and a Quince and Pear Vinaigrette


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2015 Meeta Khurana Wolff unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

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10 comments:

  1. A delightfully springlike gazpacho. Very original and scrumptious looking. I love your seasonal presentation too.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Sehr köstlich :-). Und dieser monstergroße Löwenzahn.....

    Kisses
    Claudia

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  3. O you have to tell me all about your job with the Michelin star restaurant... ;) And truth be told, I would never think I could actually eat dandelions. We have plenty in our garden (unfortunately I might add) so maybe I should start eating them instead of trying to erase them from the backyard! Looks wonderful as always!

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  4. This Recipe is Amazing,Delightful to read your post

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  5. This sunds great for this hot weather. I am definitely going to try it this weekend.

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  6. the Sounds are Amazing,I Love Your pics and Presentation.

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  7. This blog post with healthy recipe looks fabulous and very interesting . This is pretty cool, perfect for healthy eating. The images also looks very nutritious and delicious it attracts me. I think my husband will enjoy this Dandelion Avocado Gazpacho with Deep-water Prawns recipe. I want also to share this with my friends. I am excited to try this great recipe. Thanks for sharing it helps a lot. Nice blog post indeed, keep updating!

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  8. I had no idea you get dandelion leaves... live and learn...

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  9. Aawwww, I was hoping to see a photo of the GIANT dandelion that you bought in Vienna to take back to Weimar to make this ;o) I have known for a long time that you can eat dandelion leaves, but seeing it cultivated and for sale in a market in Vienna was a first for me. The gazpacho sounds fantastic!

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta