You can’t go anywhere in Cumbria at the moment without stumbling across a patch of beautiful wild garlic. I don’t know if it was last summer’s dry weather that made it the perfect conditions for this amazingly versatile plant, or the wet winter, whatever it was this is the time to start reaping the benefits!
We are so lucky to have luscious patches of this
You always need to pick more than you think, was it does reduce when cooked, however a word of warning from a careful dog owners – always wash your wild garlic leaves before doing anything else when you get home. They may have been watered frequently before by one of many canine friends!
That aside, wild garlic has a sweeter, more gentle flavour than the garlic bulbs we usually use – and it is the leaves that we cook with.
Previously I have put the leaves into a vegitatrian chilli, however, this year I decided first to make a soup.
Cumbrian Wild Garlic Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 good handfuls of wild garlic leaves
- 1 table spoon of olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 medium sized potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 pint of vegetable stock (I made mine with vegetable bouillon
- 1 lemon (just a squirt of juice is needed)
- 1 pinch of good quality salt
- 1 pinch of mild chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon of corn flour if needed for thickening
Method:
- In a large pan, sautéthe onion in the olive oil until soft but not brown
- Add the potato cubes to the pan and quickly stir fry
- Add the stock to the pan and simmer until the potatoes are just soft (about 15 minutes)
- After washing, add the wild garlic, cover and simmer for a couple of minutes until cooked, but re still a vibrant green colour – if the soup looks too thin – in a cup, mix the
corn flour in a tablespoon of water until it makes a paste andadd to the pan - Remove from the heat and use a hand blender to make the soup a smooth consistency
- Add salt and a squirt of lemon juice to taste
- Decorate the soup with the chilli flakes and serve hot.
Check our our Cumbrian wild garlic pesto sauce recipe.
