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Braised Dandelion Greens
© Kate Mathis

Braised Dandelion Greens

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  • ACTIVE: 20 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 20 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 6 first-course servings
  • •HEALTHY
  • •MAKE-AHEAD
  • •STAFF-FAVORITE

In his first book, called Beginnings, chef Chris Cosentino— a prolific Tweeter with more than 100,000 followers at @offalchris—focuses on Italian-inspired, vegetable-focused dishes rather than the innard-centric food he is well known for serving at his San Francisco restaurant, Incanto.

  1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  3. 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise and most of skin discarded
  4. 2 ancho chiles, broken and seeds discarded
  5. 3 guajillo chiles—stemmed, seeded and broken into pieces
  6. 1 pound dandelion greens, thick ends trimmed and leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch-thick strips
  7. 5 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  8. One 4-inch piece of pecorino rind, plus shavings, for garnish
  9. Salt
  10. 12 grilled baguette slices
  11. 1 whole lemon
  1. In a large pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the chiles and cook until sizzling, 1 minute. Add the dandelion greens and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 minute. Add the stock and pecorino rind and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the greens are very tender, about 1 hour. Season with salt.
  2. Rub the grilled bread with the lemon. Place a baguette slice in each of 6 bowls. Ladle in the greens and broth, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with pecorino. Serve with the remaining toasts.