Foraged Wild Garlic and Stinging Nettle Pesto Recipe
A pesto made with foraged wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is made by blanching the nettles to remove the sting, then blending them with fresh wild garlic leaves, nuts (such as pine nuts or walnuts), olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and seasoning until smooth. The result is a vibrant, garlicky green sauce that can be used with pasta, spread on bread, or as a flavourful topping.
Equipment
- A mortar and pestle or a food processor
- a saucepan
- colander
Ingredients
- Young nettle leaves about 70 grams.
- Wild garlic leaves about 70 grams
- 2 0 3 garlic cloves
- A generous handful of nuts or pine nuts, about 50 grams.
- 20 g Parmesan cheese or any cheese you like.
- 2 or 3 tbls of extra virgin olive oil
- A generous pinch of salt
- 2 tbs of lemon juice
- A generous twist of black pepper
- 200 ml stock optional
Instructions
- The first thing you do is clean the fresh wild garlic and stinging nettles. For this one, make sure to wear gloves! Remove the leaves from the stems, leaving the nice leaves for the pesto.
- Wash the wild garlic and nettles in cold water. Wear gloves!
- Once clean, put the nettle leaves in a large pan of boiling water, or vegetable stock if using, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain the stinging nettles. You can keep this water and use it as a stock.
- Toast the nuts in a shallow frying pan or in the oven until lightly golden.
- If using a mortar and pestle, start by crushing the nuts.
- Then add wild garlic, and pound to form a rough paste.
- Squeeze the cooked nettles to get rid of the excess water, then add the stinging nettles. And keep ponding.
- Then add the garlic, lemon juice, and cheese if using, salt and pepper.
- Pound for a couple of minutes until you get the desired texture.
- Enjoy the pesto in fresh pasta, homemade bread and flatbreads.
Notes
Tips:
To store keep in air-tight glass jars for a couple of weeks
To make this pesto vegan, omit the cheese or use miso paste instead.