Wild garlic grows in damp woodland and can be found from late February through to April. If you come across it you’ll know because of its mild garlicy smell. It looks like thick grass and grows in bunches. Its best picked young before it flowers so the flavour is mild and not too intense. It makes a wonderful pesto blended with spinach and toasted nuts or seeds.
We’ve made this a vegan version omitting cheese but use a hard cheese instead of nutritional yeast if you wish.
Find all the ingredients in our groceries.
Lou x
Ingredients: makes one small jar
- 50 g wild garlic leaves (washed well in water with a dash of vinegar, then dried)
- 50g baby spinach
- 70 g / ½ cup sunflower seeds (or almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds)
- 1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) or hard cheese
- 120ml approx olive oil (more if needed)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Method:
Step 1: Begin by toasting the nuts or seeds- place in an over or air fryer @170ºC and roast until they smell toasty and start to brown slightly. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Roughly chop the spinach and wild garlic. Add the seeds to a the blender and blend to crush. Then add the wild garlic, spinach, lemon zest and juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend to make a paste- keep it as coarse or chunky as you wish. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. add more oil if its too thick, but just add a drizzle at a time.
Pour the pesto into a jar, top with a thin layer of oil – this will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Add to your favourite pasta, mix into butter to make wild garlic butter for toast. Serve with your roast veggies. Stir into mash potato.
Enjoy x
