RECIPE:
WILD GARLIC PESTO
Wild garlic season is here! We love this time of year because it means that Spring has arrived and we can look forward to warmer weather and lots of wonderful produce.
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This wild garlic pesto can be served with pasta, used as a topping for bruschetta, to flavour focaccia and more. We have included a pasta recipe, in case you are feeling adventurous and want to make the pasta too.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Pesto:
150g wild garlic leaves
1 clove of garlic, crushed
50g pine nuts (lightly toasted in a dry pan)
150ml Extra Virgin olive oil
50g grated Parmesan
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Pasta:
125g ‘00’ flour
125g semolina
200g egg yolks
20g toasted pine nuts for garnish
20g grated Parmesan for garnish
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
Recipe
Wild Garlic Pesto:
Finely shred the wild garlic leaves and place in a food processor with the crushed clove of garlic and the pine nuts. With the motor running add the olive oil gradually, stopping every now and then to scrape the side of the bowl, until you have a thick paste-like consistency. Add the Parmesan and black pepper to taste and pulse briefly. It is important to work the pesto quickly to ensure a bright vibrant green paste. Store in an airtight jar, covering the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil. These quantities make more than you need, but it keeps in the fridge for 1 month.
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Pasta:
Add the ‘00’ flour, semolina and egg yolks into a food processor until a ball (be careful not to overwork though). Knead 100 times until a smooth silky dough. Cover in cling film and rest for 1 hour in the fridge. Cut into thirds and work each section through a pasta machine (on setting 5). Allow the three sheets to dry before putting through the pasta machine on the linguine setting.
To cook the pasta, add to a large pan of salted boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. If making pesto pasta, drain and add a tablespoon of the pesto. Combine and top with some grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.