CNYEats A Taste of Utica Vegetable Omelet made with Dandelions

This recipe came a bit too early in the year for dandelion greens.  But I’m going to try it again when the dandelions are in full bloom and we all know how easy they are to find. In this case, that’s a good thing. 

For this recipe, Apple Crumbles substituted escarole (see below) for the dandelions.  The escarole is a tougher green than the dandelion green and therefore required some additional cooking to 1. make more tender and 2.  to rid it of any bitterness. 

Here is the original recipe for you to follow once the dandelions show themselves all over your yard.

Posted by Eva Russo

“Frittata Di Uova Verdura” = Vegetable Omelet made with Dandelions

I made this like a frittata, finishing it in the over, but you can “flip it” like an American style omelet for more thickness.

• 1 lb fresh dandelion greens
• 6 TBS olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 2 TBS freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Remove wilted leaves from dandelion greens, cut off roots if they are there.  Wash thoroughly under cold water.  Do not drain, since the water that will cling to the leaves will serve as cooking liquid.  Cut greens into 2 inch pieces, and sauté in oil over medium heat until tender, stirring once.

Combine eggs, cheese and seasonings, and beat only enough to blend yolks and white. 

Pour beaten eggs over cooked dandelions, reduce heat to low, and cook until under side of omelet is brown (about 6 minutes). 

Turn omelet and brown other side.  *If the omelet is too large, place in the oven for about 1 to 2 minutes on hi broil just to cook the top.  Make sure the omelet is very close to being cooked through and there is only a small amount of liquid egg on top before putting under boiler.

Serve hot or cold as main dish, side dish, or sandwich filling.  Serves 6.

Substitution of Escarole”

1 1/2 bunches of escarole used.  Wash really well. I soak, rinse, soak again, rinse and rinse again.  Chop into 2 inch pieces and boil for 10 minutes in salted water.  Drain.  Follow as above, sautéing in oil for 5 minutes, stirring once, and sautéing 5 minutes more before adding eggs.

I spent every day of my youth on the corner of Third Ave and Bleecker St and that is where L.B. Barrone had his store and that is where everyone hung around…. reading all the comic books and playing the pinball machine and just shooting the breeze about such things as who was the better singer Sinatra or Crosby….some of the guys that hung around that corner were Joe Barrone, Spook and Joey LaBella, Tony Marrone, Sam Simmon, Boogie George, Richie Beylog, Norman Saccal, Vince Masccara and to many more to name….that was my old neighborhood and the greatest times of my life…to this day these are still great friends of mine…here is my list of great things from the fifties….

• best tomato pie…the free one at the weddings’ at the Italian social club on third ave….
• the best antipasto and juke box…the triangle rest
• the best cheeseburger in the world….kewpee
• the best milk man…Tony Rocco
• the best town in the fifties….Utica, NY

Memories of Utica by Ray Joseph

Joanne