Words can be deceiving when it comes to food. Patterson referred
to this dish as “grilled brassica,” which sounds intimidating and
exotic, like some kind of fish you can only find in Europe. In fact,
Brassica is the name of the genus of vegetables that includes
broccoli, cauliflower, and their various relatives. The idea is that
you go to the market, find members of this family, and grill them
up, serving them with a pungent dandelion-green vinaigrette that
also gets tossed with some cooked bulgur wheat. It’s an easy dish
that’s also a creative, outside-of-the-box meal for vegetarians.
When your vegan friends ask what it is, say: “Brassica ... it’s
okay, it was raised humanely.”
½ cup dandelion greens, blanched quickly in salted water,
shocked in ice water, squeezed dry in a towel, and very finely
chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar, plus more to taste
2 lemons
1 caperberry, chopped
¼ cup olive oil, plus more as necessary
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
About 2 cups of florets from different members of the Brassica
family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco broccoli,
broccoli di rape, and broccoli di cicco
½ cup cooked bulgur wheat