Sussex Exclusive Magazine. Issue 7

FOOD
FOOD
Wild garlic &
lemon butter
Wild garlic is abundant at this
time of year and can be found
on damp verges and woodlands
throughout the countryside.
Best picked while it is still
young, as the season progresses from February to
June the leaves become slightly tougher and stronger
in flavour. Add a few leaves to stir fries and stews or
make this fabulous garlic butter. We love it melted
over fresh pasta, spread over some crusty baguette
with some fresh prawns or, best of all, served on top
of a lovely steak and chips!
There are a few rules to remember when foraging;
only take as much as you need and try to spread
out your picking so you don’t deplete just one area.
Avoid areas of high traffic pollution and always
harvest away from areas where dogs might have been
active. Lastly, accurate identification is essential,
especially when it comes to poisonous plants,
fungi and berries; there are many apps and online
resources available to help make sure you are picking
the right thing, and a weekend foraging course is
always a fun and educational experience.
In terms of identification, you know you’ve got
the right plant by the strong odour of garlic when
harvested (the only things you might mistake it for
are lords and ladies or lily of the valley). Both of
these plants are toxic but don’t have that obvious
fragrance when picked, so double check with a good
foraging book before you head out!
The leaves will last for a good week if placed in a
glass of water and stored in the fridge door.
Becci is winner of
F:entrepreneur100, BT's Best
Home Business of the Year and
Remote Worker Awards and The
Mumpreneur 100. You can find her
at Hygge Style
40 | sussexexclusive.com
Ingredients:
250 g unsalted butter
25 g wild garlic (a good handful)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
A good grinding of fresh black pepper
Method:
Allow the butter to come up to room temperature
and soften. Rinse the leaves and then either give
them a good whizz in a salad spinner or drain and
pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Chop the leaves as finely as you can, then beat into
the butter along with the salt, pepper and zest. You
may find some moisture comes out of the leaves and
separates slightly, if so just soak it up with a little
more kitchen paper.
Spoon the butter out onto a piece of cling film into a
rough sausage shape, then fold the sides of the cling
film up so it is wrapped up.
Roll the sausage backwards and forwards a few times
so it becomes a nice even log, then set in the fridge
to firm up.
Unwrap the cling film then roll the butter in a sheet
of greaseproof paper.
The butter will keep for up to two weeks in the
fridge but can be stored in the freezer (wrapped in
cling film) for up to six months, so you can just slice
off a piece when you need it.
Nettle pesto
Nettles (Urtica dioica) are a fantastic
superfood, fun to forage and best of
all, free. Bang full of vitamins and
minerals, once prepared they are
great in any recipe where you would
use spinach. We love them stirred through fresh
pasta with a little butter and salt, or in a quiche
with cheese and bacon.
This easy nettle pesto recipe is very versatile; I’ve
made it with cheddar and cashew nuts instead
of the parmesan and pine nuts and my son ate
most of it with a spoon. Pick the top four leaves
of the nettles (wearing gloves!) when they are
young and green in the spring; avoid them after
mid-May when they start to flower and the stalks
become woody.
Again, there are a few rules to remember when
foraging; only take as much as you need and try to
spread out your picking so you don’t deplete just
one area. Avoid areas of high traffic pollution and
always harvest away from areas where dogs might
have been active. Lastly, accurate identification is
essential, especially when it comes to poisonous
plants, fungi and berries; there are many apps and
online resources available to help make sure you
are picking the right thing, and a weekend foraging
course is always a fun and educational experience.
(Eating nettles should be avoided if you are taking
blood thinners or diuretics or are pregnant).
Ingredients:
1 colander full of nettle tips
50 g parmesan
1 chopped garlic clove
50 g pine nuts
A good squeeze of lemon juice
150 ml olive oil
A pinch of salt
Method:
Nettles need to be prepared to destroy their stinging
hairs. Wash them well, then bring a large pan of
water to the boil. Drop the leaves into the hot water
and blanch for two minutes, before scooping them
out with a slotted spoon.
Rinse them under cold water then squeeze all the
excess liquid from the leaves (at this stage we usually
drink the cooking liquid as nettle tea, with a drop of
honey to sweeten it).
Place the nettles in a blender with the parmesan,
garlic, lemon juice, salt and pine nuts and blitz to
a paste.
With the motor still running, drizzle in 125 ml olive
oil and continue to blend until the ingredients are
thoroughly combined. Pour into a clean glass jar and
top with the remaining oil; if stored in the fridge
the pesto will last 2 weeks. Serve with fresh pasta, or
drizzle over fish or warm salads.
41