Dandelion Cracklings

Name: Dandelion Cracklings
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 4 ounces young dandelion greens; 2 thick slices bacon, chopped; 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon cane syrup; 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 large white mushrooms, sliced; 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion; 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped; 1 cup pork cracklings

December 9, 2011

What a nickname, Good Donny. It’s a nickname most people couldn’t live up to. His grandkids gave him that one and nobody has found grounds to disagree. Like the name implies, he’s a good guy. Good Donny’s son, Benji, came by wielding some of the best pork cracklings we’d ever had. They were the perfect salty blend of tender, crisp, and crunch. Benji went on and on about how he had to beg Good Donny to give him just half a bag. Turns out that a friend of Good Donny’s makes them and this friend is getting on up in age, meaning every batch might be the last. You would have thought Benji was passing out gold doubloons. Next time we saw Good Donny we made a point to tell him how crazy we were for those cracklings. The following day, Donny showed up with five pint bags full of those golden crispy treasures. When Benji came by a few days later, my husband, Donald, retrieved a bag that he had hidden away. Benji was beside himself with envy.

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