This smooth wild garlic pesto is the perfect way to welcome Spring.
Spring is here, and with it, lush green carpets of wild garlic as far as the eye can see. We love to go to the foothills of the Garth mountain to look for stinging nettle and wild garlic. Caden and Shane especially love foraging for wild garlic, racing to see who can fill their tubs first! It’s one of our annual highlights. Once we’re home, we start to think about what we can do with our spoils.
Despite its pungent, garlicky scent, wild garlic has a much mellower taste than regular garlic. Wild garlic is a good place to start for those new to foraging, as it’s easy to identify, is found all over and tastes great! It can be found in any British woodland or riverbank. One of my favourite things to make with our foraged wild garlic is this Wild Garlic Pesto.
Wild Garlic Pesto (vegan)
The cashews and the tofu both make an equally creamy and delicious pesto. I prefer to use cashews usually as it’s easy to measure out without having to open a whole packet of tofu – but if you’re using it for school lunches, the tofu is the way to go.
Ingredients (serves 4-5)
- 30g wild garlic leaves, thoroughly washed (You can put a few flowers in if you like, but they are hot!)
- 50g soaked cashews or firm tofu
- 150ml olive or rapeseed oil
- a generous pinch of salt
Method
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a clean jar and top with a thin layer of extra oil.
- Store in the fridge for a good few weeks, or freeze for a couple of months.
Serve with piping hot pasta, dollop it onto soup or gazpacho, or run it through some vegan white sauce for an amazing creamy veg pie filling. Perfect for party or picnic! Try in my vegan pizza quesadilla.
If you haven’t yet taken the foraging plunge, why not head out and try looking for wild garlic? If you have any other recipe ideas, let me know in the comments!
