Working with wild garlic

The wild alliums are up, as sure a sign of spring as no more snow and daffodils poking through the soil. There’s no shortage of them – and what I thought were wild onions – out at “the land,” our hopefully temporary name for the 20 acres we own out by Columbia Regional Airport. I dug up a few clumps last weekend, washed them off, washed them some more and then, after washing again, began to clean them. They’re a pain for sure, so I was hoping they’d be worth it in the end. Turned out it was (and that they were wild garlic instead). Here’s what we’ve made.

Wild Garlic Pesto

I bogarted this recipe from a site called Edible Rhody, but after blanching the garlic had to add some back at the end just to get some punch back. Blanching is key though, for most wild garlic applications where other cooking isn’t involved.

Roasted Pork Loin with Wild Garlic Confit

Wild Garlic Hamburgers (with Grilled Wild Garlic)

Wild Garlic and Spring Pea Soup

 

My personal favorite was the soup, though the pesto takes a close second (and is good enough that one taster has ordered 150 pesto crostini as apps for an upcoming college alumni dinner). Recipe? Nope. I just blanched and chilled the wild garlic and blended it with chicken stock, bean broth (leftover from cooking a big batch of chickpeas) and frozen peas, then simmered until slightly thickened. Garnished with asparagus, turnip and radish sprouts from the garden and some flash-fried chickpeas. Good, good stuff.