Dandelion Salad
I’ve shared this recipe before, but in my opinion, it doesn’t get old. From my Sonifrank family’s cookbook.
2 qts dandelion greens
2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
Gather dandelions, clean and wash. Chop dandelion, eggs and onion. Add crumbled bacon. Cover with sour gravy dressing.
Sour Gravy Dressing
3 T. bacon grease (just use what is left in the pan from frying the bacon for the salad)
3 T. flour
3 T. vinegar
1 ¾ c. water
2 T. sugar
½ t. salt
Brown flour lightly in the bacon grease. Add vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Cook until thickened. Cool somewhat before mixing in greens. This dressing is good on watercress and dandelion.
Note: Only the first dandelions of spring are good to eat. After about the first two weeks in April, they become bitter. An experienced West Virginia cook pointed out to me that back toward the mountains, the season lasts a little longer than out here in the valley.
Ruby Red Sauerkraut
This is from one of my friends, and I think it is very good. Perhaps it is a little unseasonable, but you could now plan to grow cabbage and beets this spring if you would like to try to make it. Heard recently that sauerkraut has more vitamin C than all the fruits you would expect such as citrus!
5 lb. cabbage
2-3 med. Beets
1 tart apple (optional)
2-inch piece ginger
1-2 garlic cloves
2 ½ – 3 T. salt
This recipe came without directions, but here are my grandma’s directions for making sauerkraut: You will need approximately 5 lbs. cabbage for every gallon of your crock. Ex. 10-gallon crock will take about 50 lbs. Remove outer leaves of firm cabbage. Wash and drain. Save some of the big, outer, nice leaves to put over cabbage when you finish. Quarter cabbage and finely shred, using thin cabbage shredder, slicer, or food processor. It is best to weigh cabbage since some cabbage has more water content than other. You can then measure the volume and not weigh each time. Place a layer of cabbage in crock and sprinkle salt over. Mix with hands. Crush with sauerkraut stomper (I use a wooden plunger from my Victorio strainer. Grandma’s dad had made one especially for this job; Grandaddy tells me it may have been oak with about a 3-inch head and about an 18-inch handle. – Sarah) or potato masher. (Careful not to press or stomp too hard that you break bottom of crock.) Repeat process until crock is filled to within 5 inches of top, using kraut stomper until juice comes above the cabbage. Cover the cabbage with some of the large outer leaves. This keeps your sauerkraut from turning dark on top. Cover cabbage with a muslin cloth. Put a large plate over the cloth and weigh it down with a rock placed in a plastic bag or a large jar of water. Cover crock with clean cloth. Keep crock at 65-72° to ferment. Check kraut daily and remove any scum that forms. Wash and scald cloth often to keep it free from mold and scum. Sauerkraut should be ready in 10 days to 6 weeks depending on temperature and your preference of tanginess. (If not bubbles arise, fermentation has ended.) Pack in hot clean jars to within one inch from top. Add enough juice to cover. If you need more juice, make a weak brine by combining 2 T. salt and 1 qt. of water. Cover with canning lids boiled in water and screw rings tight. Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
Hot Ham n Cheese Sandwiches
From A+ Recipes from Hickory Hollow Christian School cookbook printed March 2012; used with permission
½ c. butter
⅓ c. brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. mustard
1 T. poppy seeds
1 T. minced onion (opt.)
12 pkg. Martin potato buns
Swiss or cheddar cheese
thinly sliced ham
Place meat and cheese between rolls. Combine butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, poppy seeds and minced onion in saucepan and bring just to boiling. Put sandwiches in a 9×13-inch baking pan and evenly spoon sauce over each sandwich. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. (PSA – poppy seeds can cause a failure on a drug test for opiates.)
