Dandelion Soup

Before you mow them down, pick them. Dandelion flowers make a surprisingly gentle, creamy soup when simmered in a simple milk-based broth built on a butter and flour roux.

The roux thickens the milk into something velvety, and the dandelion flowers soften into it over 15 to 20 minutes, releasing a mild, slightly honey-like flavor. Thyme, celery seed, and a bay leaf round things out with earthy, savory notes that keep the soup from tasting too sweet.

This is foraging cooking at its simplest. Two cups of flowers, a few pantry staples, and you’ve got a bowl of something most people have never tasted.

Pro Tips

• Harvest dandelions from areas you know haven’t been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. Lawns treated with chemicals are not safe for eating.
• Use just the yellow petals if you want a milder flavor. The green base of the flower head (the calyx) adds bitterness.
• Add the milk gradually to the roux and stir constantly. Dumping it in all at once creates lumps that are tough to smooth out.

Variations

• Add a peeled, diced potato to the soup for more body and starch.
• Stir in a splash of white wine before adding the milk for a sharper, more complex base.
• Blend the finished soup until smooth for a silky, restaurant-style presentation.