Recipe: Dandelion Boureka by Melany Vorass

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This post is part of our Fall Blog Blitz! For the next few weeks, we’ll be bringing you special posts in support of our Slow Food Fall Membership Campaign. Come back often for more recipes, photos, tips, and resources as we celebrate Slow Food in all its forms!

Slow Food membership supports sustainable food production, teaching children how to grow food, preserving traditional foods, and celebrating food cultures. Together we are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to local communities and the environment.  There is a place for you at our table here in our local Seattle chapter. Join now

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This past spring, Slow Food Seattle had a great day out at Golden Gardens with local forager and author Melany Vorass. Melany's the author of The Front Yard Forager, and that title is no joke: she showed us an incredible number of edible and delicious plants all within one small area right in the middle of the city. It was inspiring to take a closer look at plants we often dismiss as weeds and nuisances to see that they can offer both a delectable taste and great nutrition.

You can see pictures from that day here, and we hope to schedule another walk with Melany next spring. But now, it's fall, and while we're certainly into the season for mushroom hunting, the casual fan of wild greens might think their season is over.

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Not so! Melany has shared with us a couple recipes from The Front Yard Forager for dishes one can make with wild edibles right now. Today, it's a recipe for a savory filled pastry made with dandelion greens and cheese. Enjoy, and check back next week for another dish:  Cat's Ear Clam Linguine. Thanks, Melany! 


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Dandelion Bourekas

Makes 4 bourekas

From The Front Yard Forager by Melany Vorass

Okay, to be perfectly honest, I'd never even heard of a boureka until I began scouting out recipes for dandelion greens. Mouthwatering bourekas, where have you been all my life? Thought to have originated in the Ottoman Empire, bourekas (also called borek or burek) have long been a popular cuisine in North Africa and the Middle East. In the United States they are most often prepared as part of a traditional Jewish meal. Dandelion greens are one of many variations of boureka fillings - a scrumptious one at that.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 bunch scallions, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 pound dandelion greens, rinsed, midribs removed

  • 2 eggs lightly beaten, divided

  • 1/2 cup goat or other feta cheese, crumbled

  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

  • 1 10-by-15-inch sheet frozen puff pastry

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.

  2. Lightly oil a 28-by-18-inch baking sheet.

  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

  4. Saute scallions and garlic until soft and lightly browned.

  5. Stir in dandelion greens and saute until greens are limp, about 2 minutes.

  6. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

  7. In a medium bowl, mix together half the egg mixture with feta and Parmesan.

  8. Combine with the dandelion mixture.

  9. Cut the sheet of puff pastry into four 4-inch squares.

  10. Lay one pastry square on baking sheet, then place a heaping tablespoonful of filling in center of the square.

  11. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle.

  12. Seal edges by pressing lightly with a fork.

  13. Brush the surfaces with the remaining egg mixture.

  14. Lightly sprinkle sesame seeds over each pastry.

  15. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

  16. Serve hot or at room temperature.