Bärlauch-Rub (wild garlic dry rub)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 50°C, or its lowest setting. Spread the wild garlic leaves in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
2. Dry in the oven for about 90 minutes, checking every 20 minutes, until the leaves are completely dry and crumble to powder between your fingers. Let cool completely.
3. Grind the dried leaves to a fine powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
4. Combine the wild garlic powder with the salt, paprika, pepper and onion powder. Mix thoroughly.
5. Store in an airtight jar.

Notes

• Dry the leaves low and slow, not in direct sun or a hot oven. High heat bleaches the leaves pale and drives off much of the pungent aroma; a low oven preserves both the green colour and the flavour that makes this rub worth making.
• Check frequently near the end of drying. Wild garlic leaves are thin and can go from dry to scorched quickly once most of the moisture is gone.
• Grind fully to a fine powder before combining with the other spices. Coarse flakes don’t distribute evenly and clump rather than coating what they’re rubbed onto.
• It keeps for 2 to 3 months in an airtight jar, away from light, though the wild garlic aroma fades gradually over time.

Ingredient substitutions

• Sweet paprika can be smoked paprika for a different, smokier character.
• This rub works well on roasted vegetables, tofu, or grilled mushrooms, not just meat.
• A pinch of chili flakes adds heat if you want it spicier.