Dandelion Greens with Toasted Garlic & Almonds

(recipe from Eating Well magazine)

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

1 large bunch dandelion greens or 1 head curly endive, escarole, or chicory, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and about 2 inches of the greens only
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 tsp. salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop greens into the boiling water and cook until bright green, stirring one or twice, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the type of greens.  Drain in a colander, then rinse well with cold water.  Drain again, pressing on the greens to remove excess water.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and scallion; cook, stirring, until the garlic starts to turn golden brown, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.  Add the greens and cook, stirring, until tender and heated through, 1 to 3 minutes.  Stir in almonds and season with salt.  Serve immediately.

(Note from the magazine:  to make the recipe with mellower greens like spinach or chard, skip the blanching step.  Blanching tames the bitter greens.  I still found this to be quite bitter.  It grew on me, though, and I loved the element that the almonds add to the dish.)