In France, this salad, popular at Easter, is made with wild dandelions, collected early in the morning. Hard-boiled eggs gathered in Easter-egg hunts are used as the garnish. Cultivated dandelion leaves, now widely available, make it easier.

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches dandelion greens, washed
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices smoked thick-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar
• 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

Supermarket dandelions are usually 9-10 inches long, so you will need to cut off the coarse stems and then cut the leaves in half to make them manageable. In a salad bowl, mix the wine and oil with salt and pepper to taste. Put the dandelions on top and toss. Broil the bacon slices; then cut them into 1-inch pieces and scatter these over the dandelions. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat; let it get hot, then add the vinegar, and immediately pour it over the salad. Toss, then sprinkle with the eggs. Serves 4-6.