Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) season always seems to be over before it has begun and so I collect recipes to preserve this flavour year round. This one in particular is so versatile and the flavours of rich butter combined with the sharpness of the wild garlic leaves is a perfect match. This recipe is a bit indulgent and it is worth using good quality butter.
To preserve the butter it can be frozen, as a complete log, smaller sized pats or as individual portions. This compound butter can be used to impart the flavour of wild garlic into dishes of all kinds without the risk of it being too strong or simply drying out the leaves as you cook.
Ingredients
- 250g Salted butter
- 50g Wild Garlic leaves
You will also need a knife, chopping board, bowl and some greaseproof paper or other form of wrapping up the butter.
Method
- Ensure that your wild garlic leaves are clean and if needed rinse them under cold water and dry.
- Chop leaves finely by roughly stacking them on top of each other and first cutting lengthwise, then bundle together and chop crosswise.
- Put your softened butter into a bowl and add the other ingredients then combine all ingredients together. You can use a spoon at this stage but I find using my (clean) hands much easier. If you find a liquid being produced simply drain it away, this is a result of the wild garlic and salt combining and some of the excess water in the leaves being pulled out – it won’t affect your final butter.
- Once all ingredients are combined and the wild garlic is evenly distributed through the butter, scoop it onto the greaseproof paper or wrap in a rough log shape and roll up before putting in the fridge to cool. If you are going to freeze your butter then you can spoon it into an ice cube tray and place into the freezer – once frozen these individual portions can be popped out into a freezer bag and stored that way to free up your tray.
Notes:
We use this garlic butter to make garlic bread, add flavour to stews, scrambled eggs, mushroom and rice dishes and smear onto bagels or a batch of wild garlic and cheese scones.
If you’d like to learn more about Wild Garlic, we’ve compiled our most popular articles, recipes and guides in one Ultimate Guide to Wild Garlic.
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