Wild Garlic and Stinging Nettle Pesto

a versatile recipe which uses some of the flavours of spring
Apr 25 2022
Amy Green
Cook, Edible Plants, Food, Recipes

Wild Garlic and Stinging Nettle Pesto

For a nutritious taste of Spring which you can freeze and use to tide you over in between each wild garlic crop! This pesto also contains stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) one of the most nutritious wild edibles we find in the UK, full of iron, protein and a whole host of vitamins.

This pesto is exceptionally easy to make and versatile to a fault as it can be served stirred through pasta, spread on toast, tossed with new potatoes or even basted on a roast. 

If you’d like to check up on your identification we have more information about wild garlic and stinging nettles, their uses and the best ways to forage them in our species directory.

Learn more about Wild Garlic here

The following is a very simple pesto suitable for spreading on your favourite toast, mixing through pasta or even using as a dip. This is a recipe which has adapted over time and can be altered to suit your own tastes and requirements. If you join us on a foraging course in spring, you are likely to enjoy a sample spread on an oatcake!

Ingredients

  • 50g of Wild Garlic leaves – A mixture of young and older works well
  • 50g Nettle tops
  • 50g Nuts – these can be mixed or all of one type. My favourite is 50/50 cashews and blanched almonds
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 5 Tablespoons mild olive oil
  • (Optional- 25-50g Grated parmesan)

Method

1. Steam the nettle tops over a pan of boiling water for a few minutes until they have wilted down, or blanch for a few seconds, remove from the heat and allow to cool before squeezing out any excess water. Cooking them denatures the sting but does not remove the goodness!
 
2. Chop the wild garlic roughly, my technique for this is to align the leaves roughly with each other and roll them lightly into a bundle. This can be held like a bunch of chives or spring onions whilst you slice finely one way, then at a right angle to your initial cuts. Keep to one side in a bowl.
 
3.Chop the nettles as you did the wild garlic.
 
4. Use a blender to blitz the nettles, wild garlic and half of the lemon juice. Add some olive oil if you need to loosen up the mix.
 
5. Next add the rest of the lemon juice and olive oil, and the nuts (and parmesan if using). Blitz the entire mixture until it is the consistency you prefer.
 
6. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like your pesto smoother and thinner then add a little more oil.
 
 
Notes: This pesto should be kept refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks. It also freezes amazingly well so you can have the taste of spring all year round!

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