I’m very lucky to live close to a few small woodland areas where, in the late Spring, wild garlic grows in abundance… wild garlic (or ramsons to give it it’s general name) is good stuff… if you haven’t tried it I urge you to go and hunt some down… it has that earthy, heady aroma of garlic but none of the pungent nasty bitterness in the taste… part of the allium family, it’s like garlics cool, hip, mellow cousin… ‘slightly stoned garlic’ is what they should call it!
you can treat it just like spinach and it works really well in salads, as a pesto, steamed, in soups, in omelettes or as I’ve done here, in a quiche… the lovely Kavey makes a kind of pesto puree with hers and then freezes it in ice cubes so that she can use it all year round… and best of all it’s free!
wild garlic and mushroom quiche
for the pastry
8oz plain flour (i used 4oz white and 4oz wholemeal)
4oz butter or margarine (i’ve been using Flora White, which has the texture and cooking quality of lard but none of the nasty fat or animal derivatives)
1 tsp salt
cold water to mix
for the filling
a large handful of freshly picked wild garlic leaves
a bunch of spring onions (about 8) – finely chopped
1 large leek – finely sliced and chopped
a dozen chestnut mushrooms – finely sliced
300ml double cream
150g cream cheese (I had this left over from my cake icing – you could use cottage cheese or sour cream)
4 eggs
– first make the pastry by crumbling the butter into the salted flour and then adding the water to bring the dough together – pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes
– in plenty of butter and olive oil, saute the onions and leeks until soft and then add the mushrooms and again saute until soft and slightly browned, plenty of salt and pepper, turn the heat off, place the washed wild garlic into the pan and place the lid on and let it wilt until soft – just like spinach.
– roll out the pastry, line your quiche tin and blind bake until golden. (about 20 minutes on 180)
– whisk the eggs, add the cream and cream cheese and whisk again
– once the pastry is cooked, tip in the sauted filling mixture, spread it out on the base and pour on the egg and cream mix
– bake in a hot oven (190) for 25 – 30 minutes until golden and risen
eat and of course, enjoy!
Thanks Dom!
I had originally intended to make a pesto-like dip with pine nuts and parmesan along with the wild garlic and oil. But I wasn't convinced the pinenuts or cheese would respond well to freezing, so decided to puree only wild garlic and oil for freezing.
In the end this proved to be more versatile as could still blitz and mix in pinenuts and parmesan after defrosting… or use as is for the pasta recipe I've posted.
x
x
I'd love to go picking wild garlic but I just wouldn't know where to look for it. I'm sure this quiche is lovely.
What a great idea to use some wild ingredients! I have never seen a recipe with wild garlic before. I bet it goes perfectly with the mushrooms. Great recipe!
I only have tame garlic here, but might have to give this a go.
I've got this in the garden and can vouch for the fact that the young leaves are very tasty indeed. Have you used the flowers in anything, Dom?
Ali x
Your quiche looks really delicious Dom, but I must be one of the only remaining people to not be able to stand garlic! Perhaps I'll try it with spinach instead!
I love wild garlic. My friend gave some to me a while ago… I should ask again 🙂
The quiche looks beautiful Dom and no doubt delicious. yum.
Nice recipe. There's usually plenty of wild garlic round here – I just need to stop faffing about in the garden and go and get some.
I have never heard of wild garlic. Thank God for google because I usually look up everything on it. The quiche looks amazing as usual and now I'm off to google wild garlic!
I will have a serving, please. I would imagine, given the current state of my lawn, that I have some wild garlic out there. I know I have plenty of wild onions.
That sounds wonderful, I adore wild garlic … alas it is in short supply in my neck of the woods but will defo be keeping my eyes peeled.
We are surrounded by wild garlic here. I was taught that it was a smelly nuisance when I was a child and for some reason it never occurred to me to gather and eat it! I will pick some next time I see it and give your recipe a try.
Looks really tasty! I have no idea where to look for wild garlic around here, surrounded as I am by bricks!
hi all, thanks for the comments, I guess it's difficult to say where it would be available as I know some of you are from many different places and climates. Wiki says it grows in deciduous woodland, and it grows and flowers in the Spring here in the UK, so I would imagine it would be the same elsewhere.
Obv you must be extremely careful going into any natural area and picking wild stuff plus you need to make sure you know exactly what you're going to put in your mouth before you do!!
i'm sure it can also be bought in specialist stores.
@ Alison – the flowers are not out yet, another week maybe.. i hear they're nice in salads
I've never had wild garlic before, but will be keeping my eye out for it from now on. And the quiche looks delicious!!!
That looks really tasty- I also loved your description of wild garlic and normal, shop-bought garlics stoned cousin!
I remember as a kid walking through woods near where I grew up in Wales and Dad showing us wild garlic- it was really aromatic. Sadly, in central London Waitrose is our only option.
Kate
http://katescakesandbakes.blogspot.com/
Your quiche looks delicious! I made an asparagus and onion quiche yesterday! Great minds think alike! LOL!!!
I'd love to be able to find some of that wild garlic, I'll have to investigate to see if it grows around here. About the only thing I'm sure of picking are fiddleheads! Have you ever had those?
The sight of the quiche really is worth hunting down wild garlic. I could imagine the aromatic smell already, great now I'm hungry. I would never run out of wild garlic with that pesto puree link…thanks a lot.
Ahhh, this sounds / looks divine! Wild mushrooms.. mmm!
I really like your header as well, very pretty kitchen! x
@ girls who like to gorge – thanks so much, I love my kitchen too… about to extend it so it will be even more fabuoous!!!! – welcome to Belleau Kitchen xx
Dom, this is so stunning. I'm yet to go mushroom picking – It's SO on the agenda now. I wonder if I can use similar ingredients to make my eggless quiche?