A rich, seasonal salad with all the flavour of tradition.
3 generous handfuls of washed and trimmed dandelion leaves
100 g of flat smoked pancetta, thinly sliced
3 eggs
4 dessertspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
black pepper
Put the eggs into cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once they boil, set the timer for 10 minutes and then stop them from cooking further by plunging them into cold water for about 5 minutes. You will see that this also makes it easier to shell them.
Cut the pancetta into thin strips and fry it gently in the oil. Once crisp, pour in the vinegar then tip it all, still hot, into a salad bowl onto the dandelion leaves, cut in half. They will wilt slightly as the hot pancetta is mixed in. Toss, add a twist or two of black pepper and top with slices of hard-boiled egg.
TIPS: Pick the dandelion leaves away from roads and anywhere they may be polluted. The perfect time for picking is in early spring, but as long as the weather is not too hot and dry and you choose shady places they should be soft and still good even later in the year. The best time of day to pick the leaves is definitely early morning.
Booking