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Food
& Dining . My
Mom's Easter Dandelion Soup
Ed.
Note: This recipe is a hand-me-down from my mom, who's now 81. It
was her mother's recipe for dandelion soup. Of course, Mamma Louise grew
up in Newark, N.J., where you were a lot more likely to find dandelions around
Easter. But since it was a traditional Easter recipe, we thought we'd run
it in our Spring issue. For those of us up here, we can always stow it
away for a month or two. ... My mother did not think it was Easter if she didn't make this soup for our family and guests. It was a must for her, and she always made plenty of it, so there would be enough for seconds and enough for people to take some home with them. Everybody loved it. It was, oh, so good. ... When we were very young, before the stores started carrying dandelions, which they did for years, we would go to the fields to pick them. So we didn't always get a bushel full. Back then, there was still some open space not far from us. But once the stores started to carry the dandelions, my mom would buy a whole bushel basket full of greens. I remember the day before Easter, I would be in the kitchen cleaning the dandelions with my mom all day, cutting the root, taking apart the leaves, and then my mother would wash them. Oh, would she wash them! ... Four and five times. I remember one Easter Sunday when my mom came to our apartment to have Easter dinner with us and, of course, she brought some of her dandelion soup. I remember, though ... She wanted to give my son some wine with dinner. He was only seven or eight. But you know the Italians. She didn't want him to have soda pop; she thought the wine was good for him. But I said, "No! Don't start him with wine from now." But she said, "Just a little bit. He's not going to drink a lot." So, of course, he had some wine with dinner. But what I remember more was how much he liked the dandelion soup. That was probably the last time we had it. ... Eventually, the stores stopped carrying the dandelions. And as more and more people in the neighborhood started weeding their gardens, and more and more space was filled with houses, it became too hard to find enough. So we started substituting escarole or chicory. Ingredients: {The ingredients are listed as they are used. For a complete list, e.g., for shopping, scroll down to see all of the ingredients.}
Of course, you have to pick the dandelions before they flower. We usually picked them when the leaves were no more than six or seven inches. Take a large pot, probably 12-quart at least. You'll be doing everything in the one pot. Fill the pot 3/4's full with water* and place on a high flame until it comes to a boil.
Next, take one whole chicken and cut up in parts -- the legs, the thighs, the wings, the breasts, the neck -- and place in the boiling water. Leave the flame high until it comes to a boil again. Then lower flame to simmer slowly. {* If you like a stronger soup, you can add 3 14 oz. cans of chicken broth to the water. I use the chicken broth for this smaller recipe. But my mother used to make it with just the chicken.} Meanwhile, take you dandelions and cut the roots and discard any wilted leaves, then rinse them well in cold water. ...
After the chicken is tenderly cooked, take it out with a fork or slotted spoon and place in a large platter so you can take it apart and clean it later. ... While the chicken is cooling, turn up the flame again and bring the stock to a boil. Put your dandelions into the pot. {If you use escarole or chicory, then you should cut off the remaining stem and twist and break them into two or three sections.} When the stock comes to a boil again, let the dandelions cook until tender. Then lower the flame to a simmer. Now take your chicken and clean it away from the bone. Break it into small pieces and add it to the pot.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and let it simmer together for a few more minutes.
Mange forte ...
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