The wild garlic season is in full swing here. It hasn’t flowered yet and the small leaves are beautifully tender and full of that garlic zing.
It grows in great swathes in the shade of the trees.
Last night I made this pasta and a wild garlic bread to go with it. It was very tasty and full of the essence of spring. Just remember to wash your wild garlic well, you can never be sure how many domesticated and wild animals might have visited the same patch before you ;). Also be sure to have identified it correctly using a hedgerow plants guide.
4 rashers of bacon snipped into bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
frozen or fresh peas
handful of wild garlic leaves, sliced
spaghetti (I used 200g for 2 adult and 2 child size portions)
Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (follow the pack instructions).
Fry the bacon pieces at a high temperature until beginning to brown, add the peas and the crushed garlic cloves and continue to fry but reduce the heat a little to prevent the garlic from burning. When the spaghetti is cooked ladle a spoonful of the pasta water into the bacon pan and then drain the spaghetti and tip it into the pan. Add the sliced wild garlic leaves. Turn everything over to get well covered in the bacon fat and serve in warm dishes.
I must try this one
I hope you do Flavia 🙂
Will look out for it next time I am on a woodland walk – unfortunate, though, that it grows around tree trunks, but I will wash it well! Is it milder than the normal garlic cloves ? Its nice to get just a hint of garlic sometimes, rather than a full-on hit.
Yes Cathy, you have to be careful! It is milder when cooked, but you can have it in a salad or in a sandwich to get the full on hit. It is quite different from a clove of garlic I think, it reminds me of a cross between chive and garlic in its taste. My neighbour made wild garlic pesto the other day and I am keen to give that a try.
Ah – looks wonderful. We have LOADS of wild garlic growing around here and every year I mean to make something with it but always am just a little late getting my act together. I probably won’t do it this year as we are away for most of next week and then after that it is only 2 weeks til we move house and I need to get organised.
Next year, though. I would like to try the pasta, the bread AND the pesto. Yum.
Moving house! That sounds exciting, is it in the same area as you are now? Will you still be close to the wild garlic?
What a flavourful simple meal. I am looking forward to starting my herb garden again when we return home later this year.
🙂 Mandy
Thanks Mandy, you have lots to look forward to when you move back home.
MMMMMM,..what a delightful pasta dish! I love wild garlic too, but you can’t find it so easily over here!! The dish looks so vibrant green,..great to enjoy this Spring time!
I just gave you an award, my friend! Come over @ my lates post & check it out!!
You so deserve it, Kath!
Ah thank you Sophie, I have been over and you are very kind. If I could send you some wild garlic I would 🙂
This dish just screams Spring to me. I have never come across wild garlic, but I would love to try it. Very nice.
It is really good Michele and free too which, of course, is an added bonus.
Kath, you’ve beaten me to it. I was determined I was going to use some ramsons with pasta this year and I still haven’t done it and they are starting to go into flower and I’ve probably left it too late 🙁 Like your idea of having peas with them too.
Well, I had no idea it was called Ramsoms. I am going to call it that from now on and confuse Mr OC!
What a lovely fresh delightful flavour, as you are just hitting spring we are heading into Autumn, but I can still taste the delicious flavours of freshly picked wild garlic leaves.
Thank you Anna, before you know it you will be heading into spring again, these seasons seem to come round very fast these days.
what a great idea with wild garlic; I know just a place here in Rotterdam, where they grow; although they are protected, I don’t think there will be a lot of people knowing it! I’m gonna make someting with salmon I think 😉
thanks!
Thanks boedhamum. I had no idea it was a protected species in Rotterdam. It grows so prolifically here, the local woods are absolutely full of it.
Wonderful. this embodies early spring freshness. I believe this would make a terrific pesto, too.
Thank you Nancy and I must make that pesto before it is too late!
I’m excited that the wild garlic is growing here now, I am hoping to go wild garlic foraging in the next few days, and make me some of pesto. Have to be careful picking it, as some places don’t like you foraging on their land, but they are okay if its for personal use.
Brilliant, I hope you post the pesto recipe. I haven’t got round to it yet and I fear I may be too late.