Dandelion Salad with Pecorino Romano Cheese

One of the first things I harvested was in fact from my lawn and not the garden. Once the lawn made it's appearance this year, the familiar green weed that lawn-lovers hate, was also showing it's leaves.  Those "pesky" dandelions are in fact edible, delicious and full of wonderful vitamins and minerals.

Trust me, give it a try!  They are quite delicious.

Before you venture out to harvest your own, make sure you know that they are safe from pesticide and/or insecticide use.  Unless you are foraging in the wild, I prefer to stick to my own lawn.  Secondly, pick smaller leaves as they are not as bitter and don't have as thick middle vein.  Thirdly, if you fear eating mouthfuls of dandelions, try mixing in spinach leaves to help you adjust.
Some years ago, I ate an delicious dandelion salad from Cibo Bistro and this is my take on it.  Plus, I love Pecorino Romano cheese, so much so that it has replaced Parmesan in my fridge. I use a simple lemon vinaigrette, shown below.

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Dandelion Salad with Pecorino Romano Cheese

Young dandelions leaves
Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
Lemon Vinaigrette: Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper to taste

Mix the 3 items to your preferred proportions and serve.