Dandelion and Apricots, A Flat Bread on the Eve of a Journey

I still hear her in my mind...

"Heeenta, Heeenta...

Hinta, hinta, palinta..."

...singing the Hungarian nursery rhyme as she rocked back and forth in that darkened room.

 It was the last time I saw her. Shards of light fell through the windows, piercing her face;

 her lovely face, a living statue of alabaster.

I was always mesmerized by her. I found it hard to look away. Even her voice, so soft, yet so clear could command the attention of armies, had she tried.

Worlds upon worlds existed within her, lifetimes filled with sorrow and pain, filled with adventure and excitement. Oh, and love; I know there was love and perhaps some happiness residing within her. She had just forgotten it.

"Hinta..."

She was my mother.

"Hinta...."

An aberration, even  in the midst of her own kind.

"Hinta, hinta, palinta"

In the end, her only request was peace.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.-John 14:27

Sometimes the journey home is a painful one but it's a journey she had finally chosen to take.

Rubies fell from her eyes, crimson trails left in their wake.

Peace.

I left, unable to watch. I tore myself away from her pained face. 

So many questions filled my mind...more and more, increasing by the minute.

The sunlight would carry her home. I hoped it would bring her the peace she longed for. I hoped it would take her back to her childhood, a place filled with an eternal Spring, dandelion covered hills and the first fresh fruits. Her winter was over and a new beginning would shine forth.

Again, I was alone. If she, herself was an anomaly amongst those who were preternatural, then where did this leave me?

Her childhood was lived in the birth of the Renaissance. It followed her from the green hills of Italy to the kingdom of Hungary...The Renaissance shaped and molded her, educated her, coddled her until she had grown and blossomed. Beauty bowed down before her.

It was the eve before her eternal night. It was her last meal... a light snack, a homage to spring..

dandelions and apricots.

She spoke of it often, sometimes comparing the bitter greens to the bitter moments, the fresh fruit to her childhood and all that she loved. She said one needed the bitter to appreciate the sweet. It amazed me, a memory so vivid, centuries couldn't melt it away.

On this day I made the flat bread, in honor of her,

in honor of a new journey.

What ever part in her that remained human, had bestowed the gift of sunlight and food upon me.

I ate, as she once did, the bitter and sweet...the moments that would come to fill my future...

a journey to Europe, Hungary, more specifically.

My peace had departed and my troubled mind longed for answers.

Dandelions and apricots

It was the beginning of my journey

The Flat Bread

Based on King Arthur's Skillet Flat Bread

Makes 3 flat breads

3 Cups Flour

2 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp Salt

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Cup Very Cold Water

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven with pizza stone to 450.

(Alternately, fry the dough on a griddle or large skillet over medium to medium high heat with olive oil.)

Mix flour, salt and baking powder.

Add olive oil and then water.

Mix thoroughly, kneading for a few minutes until the dough comes together into a soft ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 parts.

Roll out into a square, about 1/4 inch thick.

In a small saucepan, heat the minced garlic with the olive oil on low.

Let the garlic lend its flavor to the olive oil, swirling the pan around a few minutes.

Remove the infused oil from the heat.

The Toppings
for three flat breads

Garlic Infused Oil (above)

Flat Bread Dough

3 Fresh Apricots

1/4 lb Prosciutto

****Fresh Dandelion Greens, about 1 cup, rinsed, dried, lower stems removed****

1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese

1/4 Cup of Parmegianno Reggiano, "shaved" with a vegetable peeler into tiny curls

A drizzle of honey (optional)

A word about dandelion greens: Use greens from a trusted source, such as Whole Foods or an organic market. If you are picking your own, NEVER pick them from the roadside or anywhere other than somewhere that you know without a doubt no chemicals, fertilizers or weed killers have been used.
My favorite are the first ones to pop up in the spring. The smaller ones have a little less bite and those are the ones I used in the recipe below.
A small handful should suffice. :)

Prepare the greens, washing them thoroughly and gently drying them with a paper towel or salad spinner.

Trim the bottom, thicker part of the stems.

Wash and slice apricots. You will use one per flat bread.

Tear prosciutto and divide into three parts.

Brush the top and bottom of the dough with the Garlic Infused Olive Oil.

After pizza stone has heated up (about 1/2 hour), place the dough on the stone.

Let the dough cook about 5 minutes, until the bottom is firm and turned slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and flip, turning the baked side face up.

(What is now the bottom should be brushed with the garlic oil.)

Spread mascarpone cheese over the top.

Place slices of apricot, a few dandelion greens and the prosciutto on top of the mascarpone.

Top with Parmesan Curls.

Place on baking stone again.

Let cook another 5 minutes or so, until the bottom has browned slightly and the Parmesan just begins to melt.

Remove and drizzle with just a tiny bit of honey (if using).

Slice.

Serve.