I don’t know about you, but all I seem to be doing in this lockdown is either cooking or eating. Today we made this delicious vegan wild garlic pesto which is so easy to make and is so versatile. It is delicious swirled through soups or added to pasta and sandwiches. You could also add a little oil to it to make it into a salad dressing or you could try it out in one of my favourite recipes; bruschetta with pesto. Just make sure you all eat it, so you can all honk together.
Come April, wild garlic is generally very easy to find. They cover the ground in broad clumps, mainly in woodland areas or by river banks with their vibrant long green leaves and pretty white star like flowers. We’re lucky as we have an abundance growing in the lane behind our house.
The main giveaway is the smell, there should be an aroma of garlic in the air. To be extra sure, pick a leaf and rub together and see whether it smells of garlic. When foraging remember the golden rule and only take a third of the plant, making sure you leave two thirds.
This recipe doesn’t use any cheese, but you could add 50 g of vegan parmesan equivalent if you don’t want to miss out on the cheese, but I personally don’t think its needed. You can also substitute the peanuts for any others such as hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts or whatever.
Little helpers – This is a great recipe for little ones as they get to learn where food comes from. They can do everything too, from picking the leaves, to washing them. Measuring everything else out and pressing the blitz button on the food processor. It’s also good, if not a little messy, for them to practice scooping the pesto out from the blender into the jar.
Serves – Makes one small jar
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 5 minutes
Ingredients
100 g wild garlic leaves
50 g salted peanuts
1 lime, zest and juice
Bunch fresh basil
120 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to season
Method for vegan wild garlic pesto
First wash the garlic leaves and dry in a salad spinner or blot with kitchen paper.
Then place all of the ingredients, apart from the oil, vinegar and chilli flakes in a food processor and blitz. Once it’s all pretty chopped up start trickling in the olive oil and vinegar while still blitzing.
Then add the chilli flakes and seasoning.
Transfer to a clean sterilised jar and top with a little oil to ensure it keeps for longer. You can now keep for around two weeks in the fridge.
Let us know how you get on with the recipe in the comments or / and and tag us at #welshcakesandwellies
