Can you smell the wild garlic?
Spring is the pefect time for wild garlic. It likes to grow in woody, shady areas. Basil and I popped down to mum's local wood and found a mass of it around the stream.
Wild garlic has a slightly milder taste from regular garlic. You can find out more about it and other foraging in the foraging for wild herbs and weeds cards here.
There are lots of recipes for wild garlic. Here are a few ideas. As well as being fun to collect and cook they make great picnic snacks and flask fillers for your next outing.
Wild Garlic Pesto
Ingredients:
- 100g wild garlic leaves
- 50g pine nuts (you can also use walnuts or almonds)
- 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Wash the wild garlic leaves thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Toast the pine nuts lightly in a dry pan over medium heat until they're fragrant and slightly golden.
- In a food processor mix the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Pulse the mixture while slowly adding in the olive oil until you reach the right consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Store in the fridge in a sealed container. It should be good for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions:
- Toss the pesto with cooked pasta
- Spread it on toast or crackers
- Grill meat or vegetables and use it as a sauce
- Mix it into mashed potatoes or risotto
- Thin it out with a bit of lemon juice or water to use as a salad dressing.
Wild Garlic Soup
Ingredients:
- 300g wild garlic leaves, washed and chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
- 100ml cream (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the chopped wild garlic leaves to the pot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender or transferring the mixture to a blender in batches, blend the soup until smooth. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
- If using, stir in the heavy cream to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with croutons and grated cheese .
Wild Garlic and Potato Fritters
Ingredients:
- 200g wild garlic leaves, washed and finely chopped
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions:
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes, chopped wild garlic, and finely chopped onion.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the potato and wild garlic mixture. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the fritter mixture into the skillet for each fritter, pressing down lightly to flatten them.
- Cook the fritters for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the cooked fritters from the skillet and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve the wild garlic and potato fritters hot. You can add a spoon full of sour cream or a squeeze of lemon juice on top if you fancy.