Erin Fox
Ever walk in the woods this time of the year and get that overpowering scent of garlic? Don’t just take the delicious smell for granted because in among the trees, thousands of wild garlic leaves are just waiting to be picked and whizzed up into wild garlic pesto.
You can make pesto out of almost anything, including nettles! Change your pesto with each season to complement the other seasonal flavours.
While the leaves carry the flavour, don’t neglect the white flower; it too makes a wonderful garnish for a summery salad.
There’s two ways to make the pesto, either bash everything together in a pestle and mortar or use a food processor.
This pesto is tasty on its own, but if you can’t bear to part from the classic basil pesto, then you can add a few basil leaves for just a hint of flavour.
You will need:
- A large bunch of wild garlic leaves
- About 100g / 3-4 large basil leaves
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 60g freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 60g pine nuts toasted
- Juice of half a large lemon
To toast the pine nuts, heat a small frying pan over a medium high heat. Pour in the nuts and toss about for one to two minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Before squeezing the juice out of the lemon, roll on a surface to release the juices. Put everything except the oil into a food processor and whizz until it has broken down into a paste. Add the oil and blitz once again. You can add a little more oil if it’s too thick. Pour into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge. This will keep for up to three weeks.
To sterilise a jar, you can put it in the dishwasher and then use it immediately when the cycle has ended and it’s still hot. Or, wash it in warm soapy water then place in a preheated oven of 150 degrees for 30 minutes.
How to serve the pesto:
Use the garlic flowers to garnish a summer salad of tomatoes
- Stir the pesto into floury mashed potatoes or toss with some steamed new potatoes
- Dollop some onto a salmon darne, wrap in tinfoil and bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes
- Stir into some fresh pasta with some steamed greens such broccoli and green beans
- Mix 1 tablespoon of pesto with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and trickle over a bowl of risotto.