This recipe will make enough Wild Garlic Pesto to fill a 1/2lb jar with a little left over to toss in to your pasta lunch.
I advise that you gather the wild garlic as far from the footpath as you can venture safely to avoid the obvious issue of dog pee etc. etc. 🙂 However take care not to trample on the plants especially other wild flowers that grow alongside wild garlic. Also don’t take all the leaves from one plant. Find an area where the wild garlic grows in abundance and take a leaf or so from each plant. That way you don’t deprived the bulb of the means to build its energy reserves for next year.
Never having tried this before I wondered if it would have the same strength as conventional garlic bulbs. Well it does but unlike normal garlic the taste builds in your mouth and then gives you a full-on garlic flavour.
It’s worth noting that the flower heads are also nice in salads, so I’ve been told.
Ingredients
50g of Wild Garlic Leaves
30g Parmesan Cheese
30g Pine Nuts or as I use the less expensive Cashew Nuts, it’s up to you which nuts you use as it doesn’t seem to affect the overall taste.
80ml Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Making Your Wild Garlic Pesto
Wash the Wild Garlic leaves thoroughly under a running tap then leave to drain in a colander.
Now place your nuts in a frying pan and toast over a moderate heat until they are golden. Leave them on one side to cool.
I tend to throw everything except the olive oil in a blender but you could grind them in a mortar & pestle if you prefer.
Chop the Parmesan cheese in to grindable slices and place in the blender along with the cooled Pine Nuts and Wild Garlic Leaves. Pulse the contents until they form a fine paste.
Now you can add the Olive Oil a tablespoon at a time to the mixture as it blends.
Once all the Olive Oil has been added simply scoop in to a sterilised jar and coat the top with a thin film over the Olive Oil. This will enable you to keep your Wild Garlic Pesto in the fridge for several weeks.
