Dandelion Bread Pudding with Sundried Tomatoes and Gruyere Cheese

Dandelions are my all time favorite plant - little miracles that are often misunderstood. Every part of the dandelion can be used for good:

1) The flowers can be fried, jellied, used for wine and salads.
2) The stems can be used for medicines, teas, coffees and juice.
3) The roots are used for teas and coffees, medicinal rubs and tonics.
4) The blossoms are used for decor, salads, and side dishes.

5) The leaves have more Vitamin C than lettuce, and more iron than spinach and can be boiled, steamed or eaten in a salad raw.

Dandelion Bread Pudding
with
Sundried Tomatoes and Gruyere Cheese

Dandelion (from the word Dente Lion) means tooth of the Lion; named because of the jagged shape of its leaves.This is a plant that is independent and can grow with only the tiniest bit of light and space, even under rocks, and it can send it's seeds on the wind more than 5 miles away to carry on with life.
Centuries ago, folks pulled grass out of their property lands so that dandelions could grow. Now, people spend millions of dollars on poisonous pesticides to remove dandelions and have more uniform lawns, only to go to grocery stores and purchase "exotic" salads that contain organic dandelion greens. The "universe", surely, must have a sense of humor.

For a couple years, I've been holding "Dandelion Salons" in my home. It's a throw-back to the French Salons of hundreds of years ago when invited guests would gather to talk about art, politics, and ideas while eating and drinking (and eating and drinking) for hours. It has been a natural merging of my artistic careers with my culinary career and a built in group of "guinea pigs" for my recipe developing (shhhh.) The dandelion became my icon for the salon because of it's natural metaphor for encouraging ART and the strength it has to seek the light against all odds, even those that would vote/fight/teach or organize to suppress it.In the past, we've had script readings, interactive art therapy, singers and song writers, poetry, non-fiction personal journal readings, favorite passages, and film shorts shared along with a table full of food and drinks. The consistent food item is always something with...Dandelions!
The most recent Dandelion Salon was a reading of a television script written by Victor Rivers . A group of actors and guests read the script so Victor could get a feel for needed rewrites, what worked and what didn't. Victor and his wife, Mim Rivas, are both writers and understand how important it can be to hear your work out loud, outside of your head, before attempting another rewrite. Victor is also the National Spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. His life story is very moving and told in his Memoir, A Private Family Matter .Some of the other Dandelion recipes have included: Dandelion Pasta w/Limoncello Sauce, Dandelion Salad w/Roasted Beets and Walnut Vinaigrette, and Toasted Oat Scones w/Dandelion Jelly, and of course, Dandelion Wine. This most recent Salon was a little earlier in the day and I wanted to develop a recipe for this week's Let's Lunch group (a global wide gathering of food bloggers that have virtual lunch together every month through our food blogs.) This month we are celebrating Spring and Small Bites. That's how this savory Dandelion Bread Pudding w/ Sundried Tomato and Gruyere came into my life.

RECIPE: Dandelion Bread Pudding w/Sundried Tomato and Gruyere Cheese

1 Bunch Dandelion Greens (washed, dried and chopped)
1 Onion (chopped small)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes (chopped if large)
1 Tsp. Dried Red Pepper Flakes
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Gruyere Cheese (grated or chopped fine)
3 cups Day-Old Bread (cubed) [if using fresh, cube and toast]
salt/pepper

1) In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sundried tomatoes - cook on Med. until soft (about 5-8 mins).

2) Add the Dandelion greens, salt and pepper, stir and heat until wilted. Then hold to the side off the heat.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and shredded cheese, then add the bread cubes to soak.

4) Add the Dandelion mixture into the bowl with the cream and bread, fold to incorporate.

5) Pour the contents into a 13x9inch baking dish, and bake in a preheated oven on 350F for about 45 mins - 1 hour or until set. Allow some of the bread cubes to stick out the top for a crunchy, crispy topping. **Optionally, sprinkle more cheese on top for a golden cheesy topping**To serve: Cut into squares, or use biscuit cutters for making small plate servings.

For MORE Spring Small Plate ideas and recipes, check out these talented Let's Lunch Bloggers:

Chery's Popiah- Singaporean Spring Rolls at A Tiger In The Kitchen

Ellise‘s Bite-Size Black Pepper-Strawberry Scones at Cowgirl Chef

Emma‘s Radish Phyllo Cups at Dreaming of Pots and Pans

Karen‘s Sushi (with a video demonstration!) at Geofooding

Linda‘s Breakfast Cookies at Free Range Cookies

Here's more about Victor Rivers and NNEDV:

Victor Rivers National Spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence

When Victor speaks about the issue of domestic violence, he tells the heartbreaking story of a twelve year old boy who went to his local police department seeking help. There the boy disrobed for the officers and showed them the cuts, bruises, welts and burns that covered his body, telling how his father had been doing this to him, his siblings and even worse to his mother. Though the officers were horrified to hear about incidents of domestic violence that were on the level of torture, they told the boy there was little they could do. It was, they said, a private family matter. The year was 1967 and the boy was Victor himself.

You Say Pierogi, I say Piroshki - Daring Cooks Aug. 2010

You say Pierogi and I say Piroshki.... It seems to depend on how you were introduced to these dumplings that are filled with savory or sweetness and either boiled or baked.

PIEROGI
The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

I really enjoyed learning a little about these delicious buns of goodness, and if you have a personal story about your family and Pierogi or Piroshki, I'd love to hear it. For me, it's all about my husband's family. His dad and Aunt F. have Russian heritage from their mom.

One of my first holidays spent with my husband's family included watching his aunt and mom on center kitchen stage as they rolled out dough, simmered beef and onions with spices, wrapped up the filling and rolled out the "Pidus'ki" (spelled the way they pronounce it). My father-in-law and my husband can put about 6-8 of these puffy buns away in one sitting. Since the Daring Cook's Challenge introduced the boiled Pierogi, I made both. Hey, you know me - never just one thing at a time.

First: Here's the Daring Cook's Recipe for Pierogi -

Russian style pierogi (makes 4 generous servings, around 30 dumplings)
(Traditional Polish recipe, although each family will have their own version, this is Anula's family recipe)

Dough:
2 to 2 1/2 cups (300 to 375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
About 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water

Filling: (I made Spinach and Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese)

3 big potatoes, cooked & mashed (1 1/2 cup instant or leftover mashed potatoes is fine too)
1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese, drained
1 onion, diced & sauteed in butter until clear
3 slices of streaky bacon, diced and fried till crispy (you can add more bacon if you like or omit that part completely if you’re vegetarian)
1 egg yolk (from medium egg)
1 tablespoon (15 g) butter, melted
1/4 (1.25 ml) teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients for the filling (it’s best to use one’s hands to do that) put into the bowl, cover and set aside in the fridge until you have to use it.

2. Place 2 cups flour in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center. Break the egg into it, add the salt and a little lukewarm at a time (in my situation 1/2 cup was enough). Bring the dough together, kneading well and adding more flour or water as necessary. Cover the dough with a bowl or towel. You’re aiming for soft dough. Let it rest 20 minutes.

3. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out thinly (1/8” or about 3 millimeters) cut with a 2-inch (5 cm) round or glass (personally I used 4-inch/10 cm cutter as it makes nice size pierogi - this way I got around 30 of them and 1 full, heaped teaspoon of filling is perfect for that size). Spoon a portion (teaspoon will be the best) of the filling into the middle of each circle. Fold dough in half and pinch edges together. Gather scraps, re-roll and fill. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. Bring a large, low saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop in the pierogi, not too many, only single layer in the pan! Return to the boil and reduce heat. When the pierogi rise to the surface, continue to simmer a few minutes more ( usually about 5 minutes). Remove one dumpling with a slotted spoon and taste if ready. When satisfied, remove remaining pierogi from the water.

5. Serve immediately preferably with creme fraiche or fry. Cold pierogi can be fried. Boiled Russian pierogi can be easily frozen and boiled taken out straight from the freezer.

AND NOW: Piroshki!

I recommend both of these as they are very simple and have tons of options. Although, if you make the Piroshki - at least take a moment and think about how you were given a recipe that has been passed down from several generations of proud and talented Russian cooks.



RECIPE: Piroshki (as told by Aunt F.)
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/3 cup milk
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs (beaten)
4 cups flour

Meat Filling:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion chopped very fine
1 tsp. salt black pepper to taste

Saute onion in a bit of olive oil until soft (I caramelized these)
Remove from pan.
Add ground beef to pan and brown Drain well and return to pan
Add onion and seasoning (I added a little crushed red pepper) and mix well.
Let cool while making dough



DOUGH:
Scald milk, add butter and let cool about 5 minutes.
Add yeast and sugar to milk mixture
Place flour and salt into large mixing bowl.
Add beaten eggs and milk mixture.
Beat vigorously with wooden spoon until smooth.
Cover with oiled wax paper Let rise until doubled
Once dough has risen, place onto floured surface and let rest 10 minutes
Dough will be very soft.
Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out to a little less than 1/4 inch using enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface and rolling pin.
Cut into 4 inch squares
Fill each with about 3 T. of meat filling
Bring opposite corners to center of Piroshki and pinch to seal, creating a bundle. Place bundle with smooth surface as the top (corners are the underside of the piroshki) onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
Let rise until double in size Bake 20 minutes at 375 F.

Pichelsteiner; You Heard Me. It's a Let's Lunch Bunch Stew

When it gets cold, even in California, it's time for Stew! I was more than happy to have a good hearty stew be the choice for this month's "Let's Lunch" bunch (a casual group of folks on Twitter that agree to join in on a virtual lunch-date every month.) For my cozy concoction this month I chose to make a Pichelsteiner; a classic 3 meat German stew that could warm the heart of a glaciated wolverine. My daughter's fiance, Potsch, is from Munich originally. For Christmas Eve I wanted to make him something that would recall his family holidays in Germany. His mom usually makes Beef Goulash (and you never tread on another mother's traditions), so I needed a different Bavarian Classic. I found a wonderful book, Germany Culinaria, that was very detailed about the food cultures and various regions. It had gorgeous pictures of the very places my husband and I visited in Munich last summer when Chris, (Potsch's Uncle) treated us like royalty in his absolutely cozy and beautiful Hotel and Restaurant, Der Tannenbaum. If you ever have the chance to go, let me know; it's one of the friendliest cities I've ever visited. Potsch was thrilled to have Pichelsteiner (which he made sound so great with the accent and everything) and the rest of us certainly ate our share, too. The recipe is very simple, on purpose; no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen cooking while everyone else is having fun in the living room with music, gifts, and laughs. (Beef, Pork, Veal - cubed with Carrots, Celeriac Root, Leeks, Potatoes, Parsley and Stock) One of the best parts about this stew is how well it freezes, or tastes for lunch the next day. Like most stews; it improves with a little time to marinade the flavors. I just know you'll love the stew ideas from the rest of my virtual lunch mates; just go on Twitter and search using the word #LetsLunch (the hash mark denotes a topic of conversation). And maybe you'd like to join us next month. We've made BLT's, Soups, Salads, Left-overs, Desserts and now-- Stews.

Just like the rules of structure and grammar give the needed tension to poetry that really moves us, so does being given a "challenge" for us self-proclaimed gourmands.

{ALSO; a little side note here - One of our spunky #letslunch gals is sitting in a hospital right this minute, and will hopefully read our lunch posts today. Take a moment to check out her cavalcade of recipes and stories at GeoFooding. Sending you a big-blogging-hug, Karen}

Lets Lunch Bloggers:
A Tiger In The Kitchen
Cowgirl Chef
Bon Vivant
The Cosmic Cowgirl
Pinch My Salt
Serve It Forth

RECIPE: PICHELSTEINER
1lb. Pork (cubed)
1lb. Veal (cubed)
1lb. Beef (cubed)
2 Tbls. Clarified butter
1lb. Potatoes (cubed)
2 Leeks (cut in ring slivers)
3 Carrots (cut in thin disks)
1/2 Celeriac Root
32 oz. Meat Stock
1 Tbls. Parsley (chopped)
Salt & Pepper

In a large bowl, combine all the veggies. In another bowl, combine all the meat.
In a large pot, melt the clarified butter on low/med. Add a layer of meat to the bottom of the pot, then a layer of veggies (salt and pepper). Continue to layer the meat, then veggies and seasonings until all is used. Pour the Stock over and just to cover. Heat the stew mixture to a simmer, then cover and cook on low for about 2 hours. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley to serve.
As they say in Munich: An Guadn

Hang-Over Pop-Overs for Breakfast at Noon.

Yes, it was the day after a party. You know...that kind of party where you wake up the next day really hungry and realize maybe that's because it's already afternoon? I wanted food, but it had to be light and filling at the same time. Sausage and Orange Mini-Popovers
I don't do the drink and party thing a lot (stop laughing, I'm serious.) But, we were out-of-town and it was the holidays, so no driving and no real adult responsibilities - ya take 'em when ya can get 'em. We were staying with my husband's parents in Chicago and both of them had left for work that day. "We could go out for breakfast," offered my adorable hubby. But then I looked out the window at Chicago's 8 degree weather:
I had just recently downloaded this sweet little application onto my iPhone; Michael Ruhlman's RATIO. In my blurry-eyed waking, I flipped through a few of the ratios for ideas of something I could throw together and landed on Popovers. I knew my Mother-in-law, who is a wonderful cook, would have a muffin tin even if she didn't have a "made for popover" pan.

When I opened up the fridge for the required eggs, etc. I spied the delicious leftover Sausage and Peppers that she had made for dinner the night before last and some fresh orange juice.




My thinking went like this:

I love orange sauce with pork, my husband loves sausages for breakfast; why not Sausage Popovers with an orange juice (instead of milk) base?

I ended up using the mini-tins (I have a thing for small food, what a caterer-head I am), and they were perfect for keeping it easy to pick up and nibble while reading the paper, checking emails, etc.

I may try the ratio again, but add more fat content like most popover recipes contain. Without the cream that would've been in the milk and a little more fat, it was missing some of the "over the top pop", but were scrumptious regardless - according to my sweet hubby.

I'm actually more of a vegetable, grains and fruit person than a meat person, but when we visit Chicago I end up eating more meat in a few days than in a few months at home in California. A few hours after our Sausage Orange Popovers it started snowing again.
So what did we do? Went to Michael's Hotdogs in Highland Park (north of Chicago) and wolfed down cheese fries and Chicago Dogs like we had not eaten in days.















Then, spent the rest of the afternoon in the Museum of Science and Industry.
Now that we've returned home, guess I'll be checking those ratios for how to make food using only water until I can lose these "holiday handles". Yeah right, who am I kidding?

RECIPE: SAUSAGE AND ORANGE POP-OVERS

(I wanted to make only a few, so increase if needed)

1/2 cup orange juice
1 egg
scant 1/4 cup flour
salt/pepper
1/4 cup chopped fine, fully cooked spicy sausage
1 Tbl. melted butter for pan

In a bowl, beat egg with orange juice, salt and pepper.
Add flour and sausage; mix well.
Drizzle melted butter into mini muffin tin (makes about 8)
Pour about 3/4 full into 8 places in muffin tin.

Cook in preheated oven at 450F for 5 minutes, reduce to 325F - cook for 15 minutes.