Spring is on its way, right?
It must be. Despite the undeniable chill I feel first thing in morning and at sun down, there are signs that its arrival is imminent. Days are getting longer and when the sun is out whilst I stroll along the Devon lanes I can hear birds singing, lambs bleating in the fields surrounding us and wild garlic - Allium ursinum growing in the hedgerows. I love this time of the year when the grey tones of winter slowly turn into the blues and greens of spring.
I'm grateful for the abundance the hedgerows have on offer throughout the year, offering free food not only in terms of cash but also labor; I did't have to dig, sow and tend these crops. All it takes is a little stroll down the lanes with basket in hand and wham!! - I'm in forage heaven. This is especially handy as we are slap bang in the middle of the hungry gap here in the UK, that time of the year when your winter brassicas are bolting, your stored vegetables have come to an end and your broad beans and peas are not yet bearing pods.
So yesterday was one of those perfect days, I grabbed my basket and headed out to pick myself some vivid green spring hedgerow treats. I picked a decent bunch of wild garlic and a small hand full of navelwort / penny wort - Umbilicus rupestris. And then I headed down our little street to visit my parents in laws garden to raid their pond for a bunch of fresh water cress - Nasturtium officinale.
Before you head out to forage make sure you know how to identify what you are after there are some great books out there such as - Food for Free by Richard Mabey and The hedgerow Handbook by Adele Nozedar both also include some great recipe ideas.
I wanted to cook up something delicious and green, a little concoction of early spring on a plate. Using light pungent wild garlic, peppery watercress, fleshy penny wort, last years sweet tasting peas (hurrah for freezers) and fragrant broad bean flowers.
I hadn't planned to use peas but something was missing, something a little creamy with some sweetness and last years delicious harvest of pea 'Alderman' where just what was needed.
INGREDIENTS
200 g strong white flour | 2 eggs | 50 g of wild garlic | 200 g of frozen peas | tbsp rapeseed oil tsp cider vinegar | tsp sea salt | 100-150 g watercress | handful of leaves | handful of navelwort a few broad bean flowers
METHOD
Thoroughly wash the wild garlic, watercress, navel wort and broad bean flowers. I tend to double soak and rinse.
TO MAKE THE PASTA
Create a mound with the flour, on a work surface or bowl, and shape crater in the center.
Add 50 g of wild garlic into a food processor and blitz then add one egg at a time and blitz again.
Pour the wild garlic and egg mix into the crater and gradually combine with a fork or hands.
Once combined, flour your hands and knead until your dough is silky and smooth.
Set aside to rest for about 20 mins
Divide the dough into manageable portions and knead again adding a little more flour.
Creates pasta sheet using a pasta machine.
Flour each pasta on both sides and roll up loosely from the short side, cut into equal strips and gently unfold and flour a little.
TO MAKE THE PEA PESTO
Boil the frozen peas for a few minutes until cooked.
Strain and add to ice-cold water.
Mix the 1 tbsp of water with the rapeseed oil and cider vinegar.
Add the peas and liquid mix to a blender and blitz until smooth.
Bring a pot of water to the boil, add a little oil and salt.
Cook the pasta for a few minutes.
Strain and combine, in a bowl, with the pea pesto.
Serve immediately after adding watercress, navelwort and broad bean flowers.
Why not check out my recipe for pickled wild garlic flowers. Happy foraging!