One thing that I love is #wildgarlic season. Nothing beats #foraging for these delicate and delicious leaves in the Spring months. They have such a yummy subtle #garlic taste that I love. And they are so versatile, i've been making wild garlic pesto, wild garlic salt and this super delicious wild garlic #soup thats super healthy, low fat, low calorie and full of #immune supporting anti-viral benefits. Plus you can batch cook and freeze for that wild garlic yumminess when the season ends.
Do not be put off by the pungency of this green, leafy herb when out foraging. The aroma of wild garlic hits you well before you arrive at a patch of it and as soon as you spot the white flowers you know you've hit the jackpot.
Wild garlic has a mellow garlic flavour, somewhat like a garlic chive and less strong than normal garlic. The flavour is far fresher and herbal, rather than pungent like a garlic clove. This makes it ideal for eating both cooked and raw.
Worth noting, wild garlic is best picked when young, before it flowers, that’s when it is at it’s most flavoursome. However, that’s not to say that you can’t enjoy it once it is in flower.
This recipe is so adaptable depending on what you have in the fridge, I used red pepper but you can also use carrot. You can also use foraged #wildnettle leaves (tip, nettles with white flowers arent the stinging variety and can be more easily picked without pain :) or you can use wild leek which are so yummy and easily foraged too.
Wild #nettle with the white flowers below thats non-stinging.
Wild leek - if you know to look for it, you will see this found in so many non woodland areas! I've found it all over hackney!
Its called 3 cornered leek as it has 3 corners when you pick it & also white flowers like the wild garlic
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or coconut or avocado oil)
25g vegan butter (optional)
1 onion, finely diced
1 leek finely diced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 carrot, finely diced or 1 red pepper finely diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1.2 litres good quality vegetable stock
300g young nettle leaves or wild leek leaves
200g wild garlic leaves (leave some flowers for a garnish
3 tbsp almond or coconut milk.
METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrot or red pepper, potato, chilli and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and stir until everything is well coated. Cover and sweat gently for 15-20 mins, stirring every so often to make sure that the vegetables don’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
2. Pour in the stock and simmer for 10 mins. Add the nettles or leeks in several batches, stirring, then add the wild garlic leaves and simmer for 2 mins.
3. Remove from the heat and blend using a stick blender or tip into a blender. Return to the heat and stir through the milk, then taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and drizzle over a little extra olive oil, then top with a few wild garlic flowers and serve. You can either eat it all or freeze for future meals.