Shocking truth: I live in Folkestone, by the sea, and the south downs…. and wait for it…. I’ve never been foraging!
Now many would think because I’m a chef and of Mediterranean heritage that somehow I’m out there in the forests, fields and seabanks digging around for mushrooms, samphire and wild herbs. Sorry to disappoint you all but the answer is very much, NO!
Not to say that it doesn’t appeal to me… I love that idea of whiling away my hours foraging and finding fabulous edible gifts bestowed on us by Mother Earth. The reality… I’m not very good in the cold, wet and rain. And let’s be honest, that’s pretty much UK weather a lot of the time! I hate getting muddy and quite honestly, it’s pretty treacherous at times too!
I have foraged on occasion in Cyprus, however. This is where my parents are from and I’ve gone up on those mountains for wild asparagus - all lush, vibrant greeness and spindly - perfect for frying up with eggs, a classic Cypriot dish we call Ayrelli.
I’ve also picked Gabbar, a deep mossy green caper of sorts, in fact the flower buds of the caper plant, harvested in Spring and perfect for pickling, to be eaten as a meze.
I digress, let’s get back to the UK forage. Today, my friend Sjoukje, who is a foraging pro, took me up on the south downs hills and introduced me to the secret location of the wild garlic. OK so probably not much of a secret, but it sounds all mysterious and exclusive when you say it like that.
We went deep into forest surrounded by elder trees and wild plants. She was able to point out all kinds of different edible treats and we could see the early sprinklings of elderflowers making their presence known.
Before we knew it, we’d stumbled on the hidden wild garlic, preceded by it’s pungent aroma wafting through the air.
If you’ve never had wild garlic, they’re long green leaves with pointed ends. Simple. And they are perfect for chopping into cooked dishes, salads and making into pesto.
You can infuse extra virgin olive oil, perfect for cooking with or dressing your salad. And even use them in quiches and tarts.
I’m going to freeze some, which I highly recommend, if like me, you’ve gone a bit overboard and picked a whole supermarket bag full!
The season is near it’s end now though, so be quick!
Here’s my recipe for Wild Garlic Pesto - enjoy and leave a comment and let me know if you’re a forager or a shopper!
P.S. Not sure I’ll be doing this foraging malarkey too often, the uneven ground and inclines played havoc with my knees and back!
Wild Garlic Pesto RECIPE:
200g wild garlic leaves - rinsed and roughly chopped
75g parmesan - grated
2 garlic cloves - more if you like it pungent
zest of 1 lemon, and juice if needed
75g pine nuts - lightly dry toasted in a pan
200ml extra virgin olive oil
To make:
Place the garlic leaves, parmesan, garlic cloves, lemon zest and pine nuts in a processor. Blitz to a paste. With the motor still running low, carefully drizzle in the evoo. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Store in a clean jar, topped with a little more evoo, in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.
Stir into pasta - here’s my cheeky little version of the Italian Puglian Orecchiette!
300g Orecchiette pasta (looks like little earlobes)
1 pack tenderstem broccoli, each stem cut into 4 pieces
Salt for the pasta water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for frying chicken and garlic
350g chopped chicken breast or skinless boneless chicken thighs
3 cloves garlic, sliced
4 tbsp wild garlic pesto, or shop bought
Plenty of fresh grated parmesan to serve
To make:
Boil the Orecchiette pasta (looks like little earlobes) with tenderstem broccoli until the pasta is al dente.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan fry chopped chicken breast or skinless, boneless thighs, and once cooked, add sliced garlic to brown slightly.
Drain the broccoli pasta mix, and toss with the chicken and your garlic pesto.
chuck on loads of grated Parmesan! Delicious!
Make sure to comment and let me know if you make the recipes!
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Never had wild garlic but it sounds an idyllic thing to do on a bank holiday afternoon