On the wild (garlic) side!

[vivienz]

Sounds delicious. I have a whole load of nettles to chop down this weekend and there's a very large patch of wild garlic close to where I live in Bournemouth, so I feel a bucket load of very green soup coming on. I usually make soup once a week and can't be bothered to run OH through the ingredient list, so I ask him whether he'd like green, orange or red soup. It's usually green, but we'll see whether he changes his mind after nettle and wild garlic soup.

There is a Cornish cheese called yarg. It's very delicious and they make a variation that's wrapped in wild garlic leaves. Perhaps you could make some soft cheese (just strain some Greek yoghurt overnight) and then wrap it in the wild garlic. Absolutely no idea how it would turn out, but worth a go. I suppose you could also make a pate and line the tin with wild garlic - pretty and tasty.

[vivienz]

Another thought. Waitrose sell packets of frozen chopped herb mixes, one of which is an Italian mix. All the usual suspects of oregano and parsley, etc. but it also includes garlic shoots - perhaps you could chop a load and stuff them into a freezer bag for use later in the year. The Waitrose mix is great for adding to pasta salads to jazz them up a bit.

[happyhumph]

Corning yarg is good. Going to make wild garlic butter and stick it in the freezer. The pesto mellowed after a day and is gorgeous - will freeze a load of that.

Tempted to try soft cheese, & might have a go at houmous with my next picking. Tomorrow will have to use up the rest of the flower buds and a few leaves.

[vivienz]

I had another idea today (I really must concentrate more at work) and I'll definitely try it this weekend. I sometimes make fresh pasta and cannelloni is a favourite, with ricotta and spinach filling. I suspect that blanched nettles and wild garlic substituted for the spinach with a generous grating of nutmeg would be lovely. A light tomato sauce over it to bake, then a green salad on the side. Ravenous now.

[happyhumph]

Mmmmm - got me thinking. Ive never made fresh pasta but I have some cannelloni - could be a nice filling....