Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
Bring some awesomeness to the table with this Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta: it comes together in just 15 minutes and it’s the perfect quick meal!
Wild garlic pesto pasta is the most seasonal recipe of late British spring. Wild garlic is probably one of the most popular wild edible plants to forage in spring. Wild garlic is also known as wild leeks, wood leeks, bear leeks, ramson or ramps.
Wild garlic is recognizable by its green spear-shaped leaves and beautiful, white star-shaped flowers growing in clusters.
Bright green, aromatic, fresh and with a subtle hint of garlic, wild garlic pesto is such an amazing condiment that can add character to potentially any dish.
Wild garlic is a real superfood that's also a treat for the senses. It's antibiotic, antibacterial and high in vitamin C, A, iron, copper and more. Wild garlic reduces blood pressure, so can help prevent heart disease and stroke.
Tips to foraging wild garlic
First of all I want to stress that this beautiful wild plant can look like a bunch of other species, including Lily of the Valley, which is as beautiful looking but also extremely poisonous. So please do familiarise first with the shape and smell of wild garlic leaves before you go out foraging.
Wild garlic can be found growing in shady and damp woodlands. The leaves can be foraged in spring from March, while the flowers appear later in spring, from April to June.
Wild garlic leaves have a strong pungent smell when raw; once cooked they taste sweet and delicate, with a distinct grassy flavour.
When harvesting wild garlic look for young and healthy looking specimens, with no yellow or brown spots.
Please do note that while harvesting this plant is admitted, digging out the bulbs to be planted elsewhere is extremely forbidden by British law (Wildlife and Countryside Act), to preserve the species and make sure the landscape benefits from beautifully dense wild garlic carpets.
If you want to grow wild garlic you can do by purchasing the seeds. Keep in mind that this is a plant that spreads widely and can be a very invasive plant when the growing conditions are right.
Flowers are also edible, both still in buds or sprung, and they make such a pretty decoration.
How to incorporate wild garlic into cooking
While pesto (and, indeed pesto pasta) is the most popular use of wild garlic, this plant is so versatile that can be featured an array of preparations, like wild garlic butter or wild garlic salt,
as well as savoury bakes like scones, quiches, breads and so on.
Today I’m feeling classic, and decided to show you how to prepare a simple, yet extremely tasty wild garlic pesto that we are going to use as a condiment to some spaghetti, for a beautiful and mouth-watering wild garlic pesto pasta main.
Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
300 g Spaghetti (or any pasta of choice)
…for the wild garlic pesto…
100 g Wild Garlic (leaves, washed and gently patted dry)
80 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60+20, good quality)
30 g Vegan Grated Cheese
20 g Cashew Nuts
10 g Pine Nuts (or all Cashews, or a mix of nuts)
½ Lemon (zest + juice)
Salt
Method:
1. Bring abundant salted water to a boil.
2. In a blender bowl process first cashews and pine nuts until coarse*.
3. Add roughly chopped wild garlic leaves, vegan cheese, lemon zest + juice and 60 g of olive oil, and process till it turns into a paste.
4. Transfer the pesto into a jar or bowl and drizzle with the remaining oil.
5. Cook and drain the pasta "al dente".
6. Add the pasta to a bowl and scoop in the pesto, leaving some for decoration or to top the dish with.
7. Coat the spaghetti well, then transfer to a serving dish.
8. Top with some more pesto, drizzle with some olive oil and decorate with wild garlic flowers and pine nuts.
*If you prefer your pesto texture to be crunchier remove the blended nuts and fold them into the finish paste, before adding the oil for the second time.
For other yummy pasta dishes do not miss:
- Vegan Orecchiette & Cime di Rapa
- Pasta with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Cashew Cream
- Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Creamy Parsley and Avocado Pesto
- Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta
- Mushroom Tagliatelle Paglia & Fieno
- Creamy Cauliflower and Mushroom Pasta
- Sea Flavoured Courgettes (Zucchini) and Blossom Pasta
- Asparagus, Broccolini, Courgette and Pea Pesto
- Caramelized Onion, Olives and Hummus Pasta
- Oil Free Vegan Alfredo
- Super Easy Green Bean Pasta Bake
- Pasta with Butternut Squash and Smokey Crispy Seaweed
- Vegan Seafood Pasta
- Courgette Blossom Pasta
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