We found the greens for this salad by foraging in the woods and fields. You can forage farmers’ markets for tender young dandelion greens, purslane, wild fennel, and pea shoots to make a tasty salad. Even your refrigerator or kitchen garden might yield some goodies, like chives, tender young Italian parsley, thinly sliced red cabbage, or the yellow leaves from celery hearts.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　1 pound tender, young dandelion greens (about 10 loosely packed cups)

　　6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

　　2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

　　1 teaspoon honey

　　Salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　1/4 pound ricotta salata, cut into shards with a vegetable peeler

　　

Step 1

Cut any tough stems from the greens and trim any wilted, yellow, or tough leaves. Wash and dry them according to directions on page 67. The greens can be prepared up to several hours in advance and kept, loosely covered with a clean towel, in the refrigerator.

　　

Step 2

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the toasted almonds, vinegar, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the greens in a large bowl, season them with salt and pepper, and pour the dressing over them. Toss well and divide the dressed greens among six plates, mounding them in the center of the plate. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of toasted almonds and top with shavings of ricotta salata. Serve immediately.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 144.3 calories

　　123.0 calories from fat

　　13.7 g total fat

　　1.9 g saturated fat

　　0.0 mg cholesterol

　　69.6 mg sodium

　　5.4 g total carbs

　　2.7 g dietary fiber

　　2.6 g sugars

　　1.4 g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.