Something a little bit different from me today. Inspired by the long awaited warmth of the spring sunshine I have been out foraging. There is something quite satisfying about getting something for free especially if it is food! Double bonus if it is an ingredient to make something else! As much as I love the idea of being able to forage in the fields and hedgerows I lack the knowledge and confidence to just go out looking for accompaniments to tonight’s dinner. The only things I would happily pick are brambles, sloes and wild garlic. Some years ago I did pick sloes, paired them with LOTS of sugar and gin to make my own (rather potent) sloe gin but today I have chosen to share my wild garlic pesto recipe with you.
For the last couple of years I have made promises of pesto made with the seasonal tasty leaves but never gotten around to it. Even got the pine nuts in! Anyway, yesterday and today I have filled the kitchen with the smell of garlic making fresh batches for us and a neighbour.
Those that know me, know I am no Masterchef contestant but this is easy enough to make even I could manage whilst home alone! I also discovered that the batteries in the scales were not working so I basically winged it!
This is exactly how fool proof this recipe is:
We like our pesto with a bit of texture and so I didn’t blitz it for too long and still kept some larger pieces of pine nuts with added parmesan. You can add more oil if you prefer a finer mixture. You will also notice there is no seasoning in my concocted version, that’s because I hate pepper and I don’t add salt to anything after giving it up a couple of years ago.
I have made enough to keep fresh and use in the next week or so and even planned ahead for after the wild garlic is no longer available. Using ice cube trays and making enough to freeze and liven up a meal later in the year too.
I am already thinking of what meals I can introduce my bright green pesto to. So far I have pasta with pan fried asparagus, parma ham and freshly grated parmesan shavings. Or how about adding it to a shop bought pizza? We always add extra mozzarella so I think this would be good too. Stir fry is screaming out for some of it too! There’s talk from Dude about doing meatballs and adding this garlicky twist to it (I will let you know how that goes over on Instagram). But I think the one that makes me drool the most is baked salmon. A nice crust of this pesto across the top, with new potatoes and asparagus will suit me fine!
So, maybe I should try and learn a bit more about what is available to me in the local area to forage. Even just typing those meal suggestions above has got me all excited for new flavours with the added wild garlic pesto recipe, imagine what else I could make if only I actually knew what on earth I was looking for! Any tips, or classes in Perthshire would be most welcomed.
