Bärlauch-Walnuss-Pesto (wild garlic and walnut pesto)
A spring pesto made from wild garlic leaves instead of basil, blended briefly and cold so the leaves keep their sharp, garlicky bite rather than turning bitter and dull from heat or over-processing. Wild garlic loses its edge fast once bruised, so it goes straight from the basket to the blender with minimal handling in between.
Prep10 min
Servings4
Christoph's wild garlic and walnut pesto, blended cold and briefly so the leaves keep their sharp bite.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Pesto
- 80 g fresh wild garlic leaves rounded
- 40 g walnuts rounded
- 40 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated rounded
- 100 ml olive oil rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Rinse the wild garlic leaves briefly and pat dry. Handle them gently; bruised leaves darken and lose flavour quickly.
- Combine the wild garlic, walnuts and cheese in a blender or food processor.
- Pulse a few times, then blend for no more than 30 seconds while drizzling in the olive oil, until mostly smooth with some visible texture.
- Season with salt. Use immediately or transfer to a jar.
Notes
- Blend cold and briefly. A blender’s blade generates heat with extended running, which dulls wild garlic’s bright, sharp flavour the same way overcooking would; short pulses keep it fresh.
- Handle the leaves gently and use them the same day if possible. Wild garlic bruises and wilts faster than basil, and its flavour fades noticeably within a day of picking.
- Top with a thin layer of olive oil before storing. This keeps air off the surface and slows discolouration.
- It keeps for about a week in the fridge under oil, or freezes well in ice cube trays for up to 3 months.
Ingredient substitutions
- Walnuts can be pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
- If wild garlic season has passed, a mix of spinach and a couple of extra garlic cloves gives a passable, if less distinctive, substitute.
- A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the pesto further.
From Christoph Mayer