Wild Garlic and Walnut Pesto
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Pesto
- 80 g fresh wild garlic leaves rounded
- 40 g walnuts rounded
- 40 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated rounded
- 100 ml olive oil rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Method
Method
- Rinse the wild garlic leaves briefly and pat dry. Handle them gently; bruised leaves darken and lose flavour quickly.
- Combine the wild garlic, walnuts and cheese in a blender or food processor.
- Pulse a few times, then blend for no more than 30 seconds while drizzling in the olive oil, until mostly smooth with some visible texture.
- Season with salt. Use immediately or transfer to a jar.
Notes
- Blend cold and briefly. A blender’s blade generates heat with extended running, which dulls wild garlic’s bright, sharp flavour the same way overcooking would; short pulses keep it fresh.
- Handle the leaves gently and use them the same day if possible. Wild garlic bruises and wilts faster than basil, and its flavour fades noticeably within a day of picking.
- Top with a thin layer of olive oil before storing. This keeps air off the surface and slows discolouration.
- It keeps for about a week in the fridge under oil, or freezes well in ice cube trays for up to 3 months.
Ingredient substitutions
- Walnuts can be pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
- If wild garlic season has passed, a mix of spinach and a couple of extra garlic cloves gives a passable, if less distinctive, substitute.
- A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the pesto further.