Bittercress

Wild Garlic & Nettle Pesto

Something to the quality of Land changes when the first shoots of Wild Garlic start sprouting forth. To the novice in the very early stages they can appear indistinguishable from the poisonous Lords and Ladies, also known as Cuckoo-pint….

So gather tenderly, as you would stroke a lover. Stand back, start slowly, do not rush in grabbing as much as you can in your fear of scarcity.

Don’t you know Mama Gaia always gives, again and again. Quit the hoarding, start living… This wild garlic pesto recipe will have you humming… literally, so always share some with friends, or friends thou might not have for much longer 🙂

Ingredients

  • 50g wild garlic leaves (shredded)
  • 30g hairy bittercress rosettes
  • 20g fresh young nettle tips
  • 10g walnuts
  • lemon juice (add to taste)
  • organic rapeseed oil (add to taste)
  • parmesan or a hard goats cheese (add to taste)

Suggested Instructions

  1. Put the wild garlic, nettles and hairy bittercress into a food processor and ‘blitz’ until roughly chopped.
  2. Next drizzle in the oil add the grated cheese and lemon juice, Use your senses to find out which amounts suit your palette.
  3. Serve with oat cakes or crudités, however I just spoon it into my mouth. Something about it  is highly addictive!

This Wild Garlic Pesto Recipe Serves: 4

Hairy Bittercress Harissa Paste

HAIRY BITTERCRESS – Cardamine hirsuta offers a hot peppery cress flavour.

Traditionally the leaves have been cooked like spinach, but I find they taste a deep rich cress flavour. A Goddess to the forager, a curse to the gardener.

How strange to dig up a friendly invasive who grows in huge abundance for you, only to be weeded out, discarded and replaced with a less nutrient dense and bland tasting ‘monoculture’ vegetable.

Ingredients

  • 1 red pepper (baked with skin removed)
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp  cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 red onion (chopped finely)
  • 5 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
  • 1 red chilli (finely chopped)
  • 3 dry birdeye chillies (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 40g raw hairy bittercress (chopped)
  • pinch of salt

Suggested Instructions

  1. Lightly toast the cumin, caraway and coriander seeds in a frying pan until the seeds begin to pop, then immediately remove them from the heat and put into a pestle and mortar. Grind into a powder.
  2. Fry the red onion in butter until semi-translucent along with the chillies, then add the chopped garlic. Cook until the onion and garlic are nice and soft, then remove from heat.
  3. Put the onion, chilli and garlic mix into a bowl along with all the other ingredients, and using a hand blender, blitz to a chunky/smooth texture.

Serving Ideas

Smear lashings of this wild Harissa recipe over plump white fish fillets. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge. Allow to marinate for at minimum 2 hours and preferably 4 hours. Heat some butter/oil in a frying pan, and fry each fillet for about 2 mins each side, depending on the size of the fillets.

Hairy Bittercress, Dandelion & Papaya Salad

A wonderfully sensual dish combining the exquisite sweetness of Papaya with the pepperiness of Hairy Bittercress and the gentle flavour of mild Dandelion greens.

I picked up some out of date Papayas the other day. Out of date in the sense, they were still green and I had to ripen them up to their golden pinky-orange. I scoffed one of them, and as the delicate scent overloaded my olfactory system, I realised that Hairy Bittercress would go perfect with Papaya.

So off I traipsed to the woods and harvested the Hairy Bittercress, then on my way home nibbled on Dandelions, only harvesting the ones with a mild flavour and that hadn’t yet developed too much bitterness.

All in all, a pretty fine recipe. Quick, simple and just what my body needs this time of the year (Spring).

Hairy Bittercress Recipe Ingredients

  • 2 ripe Papayas
  • 2 large handfuls of Hairy Bittercress
  • 2 large handfuls of Dandelion greens
  • Olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar

Hairy Bittercress Recipe Instructions

  1. Spoon out the Papaya into a bowl, making sure to remove the seeds first!
  2. Chop the Hairy Bittercress and Dandelion greens and add to the bowl.
  3. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a glug of olive oil.
  4. Toss and enjoy.

Serves: 2

Further Reading

Hairy Bittercress & Roasted Beetroot Salad

The combination of Hairy Bittercress’s (Cardamine hirsuta) earthy flavours with the sweet, salt and acidic dressing and the vivid contrast of colours makes a wonderful Autumnal warm salad.

Hairy Bittercress Recipe Ingredients

  • 4 beetroot (weighing about 500g)
  • 50g sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons oil (I used hemp but olive is fine)
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 60g hairy bitter cress
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hairy Bittercress Recipe Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC gas mark 6.
  2. Wash the beetroot and wrap individually in foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Check each one after ¾ hour as cooking times can vary, they should be tender when pierced with a skewer.
  3. Spread the seeds out on a baking tray and toast in the oven with the beetroot for 8 minutes when they should be lightly browned.
  4. Whisk the maple syrup, oil and vinegar together.
  5. While the beetroot are still warm, unwrap and peel them with a small knife. Halve, quarter and then halve each quarter
  6. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Have a taste, you need to get the balance right between the salt, sweet and acidic flavours. Adjust accordingly if they are not quite correct.

Serves: 4