How To Make Al Capone's Dandelion Soup

Editor : Chris Manganaro
copyright 2012 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc
Have you ever tasted dandelion greens? Growing up, my grandfather got me hooked on the dandelion soup he used to make with his freshly harvested dandelion greens . Dandelions are extremely healthy for you. They are even more nutritious than broccoli or spinach and contain all sorts of vitamins and minerals. So, why not eat dandelions? Apparently we should.

In Deirdre M. Capone’s book, Uncle Al Capone, there is a chapter named after the unique dish that is dandelion soup. She would help her family prepare this soup by collecting and cleaning the dandelions. Fortunately for us, she decided to share this recipe along with some very interesting family memorabilia in her latest book.
Dandelion Soup

(photo credit: http:// www.kcrw.com)
2 pounds dandelion greens
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion minced
4 cups chicken stock
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Aside from the use of dandelion greens, it would seem to be a very basic soup recipe. And that is because it is. This recipe’s simplicity is one of the reasons that it is so inviting. For the author, the recipe holds memories, just as the other recipes in the book. What makes this recipe and all the recipes even more tantalizing is the fact that they are authentically Italian recipes that were made in the Capone family.
This is just one of the many recipes included in the book. Being able to cook recipes that Al Capone used to eat is fun and definitely worth a try. The inclusion of these recipes in the book not only help to make a point, but add just a little bit more value by creating another facet to this part of history,
There is more to the dandelion than the annoyingness of their weedy abundance or the ability to make children smile when blowing their seedy white fluff all around. Similar to Al Capone, there is more to them than people think. Next time you look outside and scowl at the overabundance of dandelions, just think of a delicious pot of dandelion soup simmering on your stove!
For more recipes get your copy of the latest The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style here or get your ebook version exclusively at Kindle