It's wild garlic season! We love foraging in the woods by the River Uck for wild garlic every year, usually when the bluebells are out but they're late flowering this year, likely due to the late cold frosts and snow in April!
Thankfully the wild garlic (aka Ramsons) season is longer (March - June) so there's already an abundance of fresh pungent greens to be picked, the pretty white flowers yet to burst out of their buds which is when I believe it's best to pick tasty young green leaves. Make sure you pick them gently so you don't pull up the bulbs or they won't grow back next year, plus it's illegal to dig up the bulbs!
If you've never had it before, wild garlic is similar to normal garlic bulbs but milder and with a distinct grassy flavour. The raw leaves have a strong pungent smell, but taste delicate and sweet. It makes an amazing pesto with bite among other things. Here are some of my favourite easy recipes...
I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite, super easy recipes and some ideas of what you can do with this fabulous stuff!
Chimichurri Sauce
This one is GREAT with BBQs, dolloped on steak or drizzled over halloumi, on top of a baked potato or chicken... the possibilities are endless, I even mixed some into my salad.
Ingredients:
Large bunch of wild garlic, washed & drained
Small bunch parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Approx. 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper, to taste
Pickled jalapeños or chilli flakes (optional)
Method:
It couldn't be simpler, bung it all in a food processor and blitz until you get the desired consistency, adding more olive oil if you desire. Season to taste.
Wild Garlic Pesto
A favourite with the kids, great on spaghetti and super simple but packs a punch. My twins always ask for more!
Ingredients:
Large bunch of wild garlic, washed & drained
50g grated Parmesan cheese
50g toasted pine nuts
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1-2 lemons
Approx. 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Method:
It's pretty much the same recipe with different ingredients! Bung it all in a food processor and blitz until you get the desired consistency, adding more olive oil if you desire. Season to taste.
Use it on pasta, in sandwiches, spread it over fish and bake in the oven, again the possibilities are endless, it freezes well too.
Wild Garlic Butter
Ingredients:
200g unsalted butter (room temperature)
30g wild garlic leaves
1 tsp sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Method:
Super easy, just blitz the garlic & lemon zest in a food processor (or finely chop) then beat together with all the other ingredients. Place the butter on a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll into a log shape, wrap the paper around the butter and place in the fridge immediately.
Serve on baked potatoes, cheese scones, melt over corn on the cob or other veg, to make garlic bread/toast, stuff into chicken breasts for a home-made kiev... so many possibilities!