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How to make wild garlic pesto
The wild garlic season begins in mid-March, and you can harvest the aromatic leaves yourself in forests and meadows to process them into delicious wild garlic pesto. You should definitely know what you are doing to ensure you do not confuse wild garlic with poisonous lily of the valley. You can find the most important information here in brief if you want to harvest wild garlic yourself. During the peak season between March and April, you can also get fresh wild garlic at the local farmers' market.
Safety notice: Wild garlic is easily confused with lily of the valley and autumn crocus. Both are poisonous. The safest identifying feature is the garlic scent of the leaves. When in doubt, do not pick it.
Classic wild garlic pesto — the recipe
Ingredients for approx. 1 jar (250 ml):
- 100 g fresh wild garlic leaves
- 50 g pine nuts (alternatively sunflower seeds or walnuts)
- 50 g grated Parmesan (alternatively Pecorino)
- 120-150 ml good olive oil
- 1 splash of lemon juice
- Salt, freshly ground pepper
- Optional: 1 clove of garlic (though wild garlic already has a strong garlic flavor)
Preparation:
- Prepare the wild garlic: Wash the leaves thoroughly, pat dry carefully, or dry in a salad spinner. Remove woody stems.
- Roast the pine nuts: Roast in a dry pan until golden brown, remove from heat, and let cool briefly.
- Blend: Place wild garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice into a blender or mortar and process into a creamy mass. Decide on the consistency yourself — some like it coarser, some finer.
- Season: Season with salt and pepper; you may want to add a little more olive oil.
- Fill: Pour into sterilized jars and cover with a little olive oil — this way it will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Variations
- With walnuts instead of pine nuts — stronger and more intense
- With almonds — milder and slightly sweeter
- With roasted pumpkin seeds — beautiful green color, a regional alternative to pine nuts
- With goat cheese instead of Parmesan — for a creamy, slightly tart version
- With spinach — reduce the wild garlic portion and stretch it with baby spinach (for a gentler version)
Culinary use
- Classic with pasta — spaghetti, linguine, or tagliatelle (do not heat; fold in over the warm pasta)
- As a spread — plain or mixed with cream cheese
- As a dip — for vegetable sticks, crackers, or mozzarella
- In risotto — fold in at the end of the cooking process
- On crostini — as an appetizer with tomatoes or mozzarella
- In soups — a spoonful as a final topping
- With meat and fish — as a herbal sauce for grilled or pan-seared meat
- In salad dressings — thinned with a little vinegar and yogurt
Storage
Wild garlic pesto lasts for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator when stored in a sterilized jar and covered with olive oil. It can even be kept for up to 6 months if frozen in small portions (e.g., in ice cube trays). It is best to prepare it without cheese before freezing — and then add the Parmesan fresh.
