Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto
7 ingredients. 1 blender. And a lot of versatility. This pesto makes the foundation of 3 new recipes coming out this wild garlic season (otherwise known as Spring). So get out there, find some woodland, and follow your nose.
Foraging
If you have been following our recipe updates on ingredients that require foraging then you’re probably more than used to what I’m about to say. Feel free to skip this and head straight to the recipe, but it is important to always be aware. Never take more than you need, never pick a protected species, never trespass, and always respect the natural habitat. It’s important to leave enough for everyone as well as not to damage the plants by removing too much. It is good practice to cleanly cut a plant you forage and not tug at it, this way you don’t damage the roots and allow it to recover for the following season.
One of the main attractions in foraging is the wonderful flavours we find in plants and fungi that have grown in their natural habitat and far from the destructive and artificial environments of conventional agriculture. Having said this, harmful chemicals can still find their way into faragable ingredients that grow close to roads. For this reason, I tend to leave anything growing at the side of the road or footpath alone in favour of that which grows in the heart of a habitat.
When it comes to wild garlic, be careful of dangerous lookalikes. Take care not to pick the leaves of Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). They favour the same conditions and look similar, but Lily of the Valley is a little more upright and doesn’t share the distinct aroma of wild garlic. When flowering, it looks more like a Snowdrop, with small, bell-shaped flowers hanging from a slender stalk. This plant is highly poisonous and can cause anything from digestive issues to irregular heartbeats. Another thing to bare in mind is Ivy. A lot of woodland is covered in Ivy and often wild garlic pushes it’s way up amongst vines of Ivy. It is easy to accidentally pick Ivy that is hiding beneath the leaves of wild garlic, so be careful when washing your haul for any signs of dark green Ivy leaves. They should be obvious too, but Bluebells also enjoy the same environment as wild garlic so make sure not to pick any that might be lurking beneath.
Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto
100g Wild garlic, washed
300ml Olive oil
80g Hazelnuts
60g Pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
Half a lemon, juice
A pinch of salt
Step 1.
Preheat the oven at 180C / 350F and toast the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds on a tray for 8-10 minutes.
Step 2.
Add the wild garlic to a processor and blend, adding the lemon juice and a small amount of the oil (enough to pull the garlic down into the blades). When smooth enough, tip it into a mixing bowl and add the salt and remaining oil. Lightly crush the nuts and seeds in a pestle and mortar and stir them through with the mustard. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then fill a sealable containing and store in the fridge for a week.