Twitter is a bloody marvellous thing. Truly it is. I know that there are trolls and idiots and general arseholes there, but it can also be a bloody lovely community.
Social media has been a godsend for spoonies. Finally we have a place we can socialize that doesn't involve getting out of bed! And nobody will judge us for being in our pyjamas!
So anyway, I was on Twitter last week and saw that a fellow Brigtonian (yes, I just said that) was collecting some wild garlic. I told her I was jealous and low and behold, 2 days later I picked up this bag of gorgeousness!
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| Actually this was about half of what I was given as I'd already used a load for pesto! |
There's something really exciting about the idea of foraged ingredients, I suppose it's that whole hunter-gatherer thing. Unsurprisingly foraging isn't exactly within my capabilities (!!) but if you are able to go out and explore, Emma over on Retreat Blog has written a great little piece about where to find it and you may be able to catch the last of it. You can read her blog here.
So with great thanks to @BrightonSuz and @Emzyducks (in case you want to find them on Twitter) I present you with two recipes for wild garlic. Also I've started using my DSLR again, apologies for the crappy phone pictures recently.
Lemon, artichoke and wild garlic rice
I saw this recipe when researching what to do with wild garlic and adapted it for a spoonie. This takes about 3 minutes to put together and is really tasty. The original recipe was in delicious magazine here.
This was a lovely light lunch by itself and I ate about 2/3 of it, however I think it would benefit from a little extra. Next time I might try it with some cheese or maybe even some grilled or roasted chicken. Serves 2 with something else and the larger amount of artichokes.
Also feel free to sub precooked and frozen rice instead of microwave, but we can't all be domestic goddesses all the time!
1 pack of microwave rice (I used Tilda brown basmati)
1/4-1/2 a small jar of grilled artichokes (160g)
1 lemon
Bunch of wild garlic
Knob of butter
1/2 tsp salt
Zest the lemon and put aside.
Wash an dry the wild garlic.
Pop a pan on medium-low heat and melt the butter.
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 the lemon into the rice and cook according to packet instructions.
Once butter is foaming add the wild garlic and cook until just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the artichokes and allow to heat through.
Once rice is cooked mix with wild garlic mixture and add some of the lemon zest. Taste and add salt and lemon juice to adjust.
Beetroot, potato and wild garlic rostis
These are rather delicious with smoked salmon and a fried or poached egg and the colour is just gorgeous!
These could almost certainly be done without precooking the potato, however you would then need to squeeze oodles of water out and my spoonie hands are not up to the job. The beetroot was hard enough!
550g potato (1 giant)
190g beetroot (1 med, 1 small)
70g (approx) wild garlic
Salt and pepper
Plain flour for dusting
Scrub potatoes and cut off any nasty bits but there's no need to peel. Cut into large chunks (to fit in food processor).
Pop in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil, cook for 7 minutes.
Meanwhile peel and grate the beetroot. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of salt over and leave.
Once potatoes are cooked, drain and leave to cool a bit. Once cool enough to handle, grate. Don't worry if it seems very sticky, this starch is what will hold the cakes together.
Wash and dry the wild garlic leaves before shredding.
Once the beetroot has had at least twenty minutes to sit, use a disposable j-cloth to squeeze out the liquid. Careful as this will stain anything it touches!
Put everything into a bowl and add a heaped 1/4 tsp of salt and a good amount of pepper. Mix everything together until all ingredients are evenly distributed, I find it easiest to do this with my hands, lemon juice can help with the pink stains.
Flour your hands to prevent sticking and shape into patties. I found a large dessert spoonful to be about the right amount.
Cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. They'll firm up and be easier to cook.
Pan fry on a medium-low heat in using a small amount of fat (I use animal fats mostly for cooking) for 10 - 15 minutes. I tried finishing some off in the oven and they just didn't crisp up as nicely.
I'd love to hear what you do with wild garlic and let me know how you get on if you try any of the recipes.
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