Dande'Met or a Lion's Teeth omelet

About this post: It is photo heavy, contains photos of raw eggs, and suggest the usage of a meat product. . the 22 photos are small for the post but you should be able to click on the photos to see a larger view. ( if i did things right)

a Dande'Met or an omelet with Lion's Teeth

No silly not teeth from an actual lion ....


The name Dande'Met comes from when my sister and I were kids. Dande is obvious ... dandelion. the 'met is how we use to say omelet. Yup, in our house a cheez'met was our way of saying cheese omelet for a long while.

The Lions Teeth Omelet name again refers to the dandelion's leaves. Taraxacum officinale -Dandelion - means "lion's teeth" which, when turned sideways, you can see how the leaves could look like the toothy smile of a lion.

I love having kids look to see if they can see the lion's teeth in a dandelion leaf and it's amazing how something so simple can hold thier imagination and memories for years . It makes me smile thinking of my own daughter and hot summer days when the dandelions have turned to puffballs ( another common/folk name) and her looking in the back yard for the leaves.

ahh, but I digress.


IF you want some really good info on the properties and health benefits of dandelion Check out Fae Kieran's blog Stories From A Witches Cabinet 3- 2010 Herb of the week: Dandelion article.



Some times it's fun to incorporate some of the old folk, Local lore, or geographic names into recipe names you create or are un-named family recipes. It's a wonderful way to teach them so they are not lost. Now, you could simply call this omelet a Dandelion Omelet, but what's the fun in that? Besides , you may have more luck tempting the kids to try it ....a, or not ... o.k. never mind.

Over the next few weeks as the dandelions are about right to harvest for the flavor wanted, I will post some other recipes to use them in .

They will include but not be limited to the following subjects/titles:

An infusion ( or 2) for bouillabaisse , beverages of the brewed type, a Bundt Cake, teas, a quick bread, salads, meat dishes, a green butter , Priest's Crown Noodles - an ol' hand rolled pasta, ( Priest's Crown is another common/folk name for Dandelion), and more all with the common ingredient , dandelion . Now i don't proclaim to have alll the recipes , nor that there arn't better and worse out there... this is just my collections and i will tell you what i use and what I've not tried (yet).

now that you've been warned,

lets make this 'Met shall we?


Note: Some Heath food stores which carry fresh organic produce carry fresh - sometimes organic- dandelion greens. And when I can lay my hands on them I love to use free range chicken eggs, Gorgonzola-Goat (some prefer cow milk), ricotta, brie, and lots of other cheeses. But usually I just use what I have on hand that day.

let me give you a few notes about harvesting the dandelion and 2 other herb parts you will need for this recipe :

First ,the dandelion leaves:
Really you shouldn't need scissors to harvest dandelion greens tender and light enough for this recipe. At this stage they are still tender and you won't hurt the root, or even the bloom .

The mildest flavor will be found in the "bottom" leaves before it has set it's bloom. look again at the first photo in this post, the bloom has set but isn't open . at this point the flavor starts to pick up a bit and will continue to do so as the plant ages. Some pinch the first blooms back to make the roots larger and the tops fuller for the next harvest season . Others who grow them in the herb and vegetable garden leave the blooms to make dandelion wine.


grab hold of the leave and give them a gentle tug on the first sunny morning after a good rain ( or water the day before harvesting)







You'll want a good hand full ( about a dozen or so ) 3 to 5 inch stems with unblemished leaves.







Second, the Garlic chives


Normally I would tell you to harvest the longer fatter leaves of the garlic chive, but not for this recipe .







You want those tender young fleshy new spring shoots , about 3 or 4 (or more) that are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length . Thier flavor will be a bit brighter and not so over powering as the larger shoots.





Third,The Sage

The sage leaves you want for this dish are those little ones on the tips - not the larger ones. You'll want say 5 to 9 depending on how strong you like the flavor of sage in eggs. we us 5 or 6 .












Just "pluck it"
keep hold of them .. they arn't very big....





Ingredients: ( all herbs and greens should be fresh harvested if possible )
Serve 3 - 2 egg servings or 6 - 1 egg servings

Dandelion leaves - 12 to 15 - 3 to 5 inch stems of unblemished
Garlic chives - 3 or 4 greens (or more) that are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length
Chives- 7 to 10 greens 3 to 5 inches long ( the tender young greens)
Lemon Thyme- 3 to 7 4 to 5 inch stems
Greek Oregano- 2 leaf heavy stems about 3 to 4 inches long
Sage- 5 to 9 tip leaves
Sweet Basil- 1 large leaf or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Cumin-1/4 teaspoon ground
Saffron- scant pinch
your best 6 egg omelet batter ( i will give you mine further down)
about 3 tablespoons chopped sweet red bell pepper
1 large strip bacon, cooked and chunky- ground in the food processor , or broken up

Washing the greens and herbs .


You will want to wash the dandelion greens and the herbs before you use them.

Do this as you would leeks. But on a smaller scale.

Soak them in a bowl of good COLD water with 3 teaspoons lemon juice added to it . "Swish" them about gently in this water with your fingers to help loosen any dirt that will be stuck to the leaves.


you'll see it in the bottom of the bowl. ( sorry the photo is dark, I forgot to change my settings again )







Remove the herbs and greens from the water ( don't forget those tiny little sage leaves)
and place them on a clean white towel or paper towel to drain. use this time to pick out any blemished leaves or such you may have missed.







Roll the herbs and greens up in the towel and set aside till you are ready for them.





When you have all your ingredients assembled, Begin by prepping the dandelion greens. This is another opportunity to remove any damaged leaves.
For this recipe you only want the leaves not the heavy stem in the center. This can be hard on some one with digestive problems... think celery strings .



The leaves are easily pulled from the stem centers with your fingers or
you can use the point of a sharp knife and slice the leaves of each side.. I
use my fingers.






Place the dandelion leaves in one pile.
Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and start another "herb pile".
Remove the oregano leaves from the stems and give them a ruff chop.
Give both the chives a ruff chop.
If using fresh basil ,chop it or tear it to small pieces that fit uniformly with the size of the other herbs .
To the "herb pile" add the saffron, cumin and any other dry herbs .

Now prep your best omelet recipe.

I use the 6 eggs, about 3 to 4 tablespoons sour cream and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream. ( the measurements are approximate, because I eyeball this part)

Whip the egg mixture well.

whisk in the Herb mix. Then ruff chop about 2/3rds of the dandelion greens and whisk those in .

add fresh cracked black pepper (amount of which is to your usual liking)

whisk this all together well.



In a non stick skillet sprayed with either canola , grape or extra virgin olive oil that has been brought just to smoking over medium heat, pour your omelet batter.

sprinkle in the chopped sweet red pepper and prep as you would normally for an omelet.





Then sprinkle the bacon pieces over the top of the omelet.

wait a bit longer till the omelet is almost set and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. ( fresh grated is best... I was out so I used grated in a jar today)



Now,I am not a fan of raw egg in the middle of my omelet so I flip them to finish them.. of course today, it broke ... at least it all landed in the pan..

You can do this easily enough by loosening the omelet from the pan and sliding it out cooked side down onto a large plate which you hold from the bottom, then turning the skillet over on top of the plated omelet and holding them together flip the whole thing over and place the omelet in the skillet back on the heat and remove the plate. If you don't want to flip your omelet, then skip this step and move on the to next.


Ruffly chop the remaining dandelion leaf and sprinkle over the top of the omelet.

Then top with your chosen cheeses..


If you want you can flip the omelet in half, western style not , instead of the rolled style . OR leave it open like a pie to cut into the desired portion sizes. ( we fold it )

This is awesome to serve for a champagne brunch .. and the mellowness of the flavors is perfect for some one who has never had dandelions and wants to try them for the first time.
using more of the herbs and spices or other ingredients can help to hid the flavor of the dandelion greens if some one wasnt to include them in thier diet with out "tasting them" , just as using less of the other herbs and spices will allow more of those wonderful greens to delight your taste buds...
MMMM so good



I wanted to post 2 dandelion recipes to night but bloger was being buggersome this evening .. sorry .. Hopefully tomarrow will be a better day for blogging..LOL

Happy tummy Blessings every one ..
Ma Fey
Oh, and if you haven't already, please Don't forget to enter my gaarooooovey giveaway!