wild garlic – Scandelights

Recipe: Wild Garlic Hummus with Crispy Za’atar Mince, Vegetables and Pitta

Published on June 4, 2021 by HannaLeave a comment

While browsing my fellow food blogger Charlotta’s site I came upon a recipe of crispy mince with hummus that immediately brought me back to my trip to Syria ten years ago. Hummus is often served with toppings in the Middle East, rather than on its own.

So without even glancing at her instructions, I decided to make my own version. I usually make my dill hummus, but this time I substituted the dill with wild garlic (I’ve put it in everything this spring!) and it was so good!

I fried beef mince really crispy in oil and seasoned it with za’atar, salt and pepper and added cucumber, tomatoes and pickled red onions. And pitta bread to scoop it all up, of course!

Loved this! And know I will make it often for supper as it’s quick but delicious!

Wild garlic hummus with crispy za’atar mince, vegetables and pitta, serves 2

1 batch wild garlic hummus (recipe below)

250 g beef mince

2 tbsp mild olive oil

2 tsp za’atar

salt and pepper

a squeeze of lemon

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

10 cm cucumber, sliced in 1,5 cm slices and cut into four

pickled red onions

5 large mint leaves, thinly sliced

small bunch of parsley, chopped

2 toasted pitta breads to serve

Fry the mince on high heat in the oil until brown and crispy. Add more oil it it seems dry. Add za’atar, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Place a large dollop of hummus in a bowl and spread it out. Top with the mince, cucumber, tomatoes, pickled red onions and herbs. Serve with toasted pittas.

Wild garlic hummus

1/2 can (200 g) good quality chickpeas, drained and rinsed

50-75 ml mild olive oil

1 tbsp tahini

1/2 lemon, the juice only

small bunch (5-6 large leaves) wild garlic

plenty of salt and black pepper

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a food processor, mix the chickpeas with tahini, olive oil and wild garlic until smooth. Add lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Keeps for 5 days in the fridge.

Recipe: Langos with Two Toppings

Published on May 13, 2021 by HannaLeave a comment

I’ve featured langos on the blog before, but I recently discovered a new combination of toppings that I want to share with you.

To recap, langos are Hungarian breads with potato and flour, that are deep-fried into pillowy golden discs, brushed with butter (I used wild garlic butter this time and it was divine) and topped with things like grated cheese, smetana or creme fraiche, prawns etc. They are utterly delicious and deceivingly filling!

Langos with wild garlic butter, creme fraiche, prawns, red onions and lumpfish roe

Langos are present at any Swedish festival so my go to toppings have always been very Scandinavian with creme fraiche, prawns, smoked salmon and lumpfish roe. But as I was making these for our Friday night supper at home I thought I’d better have an alternative to prawns so my dear boyfriend doesn’t get bored of them (they’re my Friday night go-to food as they’re delicious, quick and easy and can be prepared in a multitude of ways). But I must say I really liked the alternative topping of crispy prosciutto crumbs, grated cheddar and creme fraiche myself, so from now on, that will be part of my spread!

Langos with wild garlic butter, creme fraiche, crispy prosciutto and grated cheddar

I highly recommend having friends over for a langos night (when that’s allowed in your area) with all the different toppings, maybe a nice side salad and a Hungarian themed pudding. And why not go all in with Hungarian wines too?! (Can you tell I miss dinner parties and love a themed evening?!)

Langos with two toppings, serves 2

1/2 batch of langos (I made the full batch but froze half)

Toppings:

50 g melted wild garlic or garlic butter for brushing

150 ml creme fraiche

150 ml grated cheddar

1 packet prosciutto (70-80 g)

200 g peeled cold water prawns

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 jar lumpfish roe

Prepare the toppings in little bowls. Place the prosciutto on a baking parchment covered baking tray in a 200C oven until the ham is crispy, approx 5-10 minutes. Drain on kitchen towel and chop into small pieces and place in a bowl.

Deep-fry the langos according to the recipe and drain on kitchen towel. While still warm, brush one side generously with wild garlic or garlic butter. Add various toppings to the langos and dig in. Either deep-fry the langos in batches as you eat them or keep them warm and crispy in the oven on 150C or so.

Recipe: Creamy Potato Salad with Wild Garlic Pesto

Published on May 4, 2021 by HannaLeave a comment

The best recipes are sometimes the really simple ones! And this delicious spring time potato salad could not be easier to make!

It’s lovely and creamy, but because of the wild garlic pesto it still has a little bite and it goes with literally anything. Pork! Chicken! BBQ! Fish! Steak! You name it.

Creamy potato salad with wild garlic pesto, serves 4

600 g new potatoes

approx 5 tbsp wild garlic pesto

200 ml creme fraiche

salt, black pepper

Make the pesto. Cut the potatoes into equally sized pieces and boil in salted water for approx 15 mins. Drain and leave to cool. The potatoes shouldn’t be warm, but lukewarm or cold works well. Mix creme fraiche with wild garlic pesto in a bowl, add the potatoes, salt and pepper and toss until the potatoes are nicely coated. Drizzle with a little extra pesto to decorate.

Recipe: Cheat’s wild garlic mayo

Published on July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

I’m one of those cooks that prefer to make everything from scratch. For the simple reason that I think it’s worth the effort as the end result is usually so much better than something ready-made.

This includes most things, even mayonnaise, although I do like Hellmann’s too. If I’m making a prawn sandwich I’ll happily use Hellmann’s but for Toast Skagen I would make my own. Small distinctions, but they make sense to me.

So in a way I think lockdown was good for me. As I had to take shortcuts and think differently. Some things were hard to come by at times, like vegetable oil, eggs and even mayonnaise. So when I managed to get some wild garlic but didn’t have any oil to make my own mayonnaise but luckily had a jar of Hellmann’s to hand I decided to try a new version of my wild garlic mayo. One that doesn’t involve a stick blender or very much work.

And do you know what?! It turned out really well. Different to my homemade version but almost as good, so if you’re lacking time or energy, this is the one to make!

Cheat’s wild garlic mayo, serves 4

I made this wild fresh wild garlic, but blanched and frozen will work too.

200 ml Hellmann’s mayonnaise

a handful fresh wild garlic leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped

1/4 lemon

salt and pepper

Mix the mayonnaise and wild garlic. Add lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe: asparagus risotto with wild garlic butter and lemon

Published on July 1, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

This wonderful recipe is actually from last year, but as usual time got away from me and suddenly the asparagus season was well and truly over and it felt too late to post.

This year I think I made it in the knick of time, as the season is drawing to an end, but if you’re lucky to find some nice asparagus, this is the perfect dish to end the season with. It’s both light and warming, fresh and a bit decadent thanks to the browned butter and wild garlic butter. Butter makes everything better doesn’t it?!

Asparagus risotto with wild garlic butter and lemon, serves 3

2 banana shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp vegetable oil

180 g carnaroli rice

100 ml dry white wine

1 litre vegetable stock

grated parmesan

250 g asparagus

1 tbsp wild garlic butter

1/2 tsp lemon zest

To serve:

asparagus tips

two rounds wild garlic butter

1 tbsp browned butter

1/2 tsp lemon zest

sea salt and black pepper

grated parmesan

Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the shallots and fry for a few minutes without browning. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon so it can soak up all the oil and butter. Add the wine and let it cook for a minute or so. Lower the heat to medium-low and add a ladle of stock. Stir and add more when most of the stock has evaporated, continue until the rice is cooked. I prefer a loose risotto so I don’t let the last ladle fully absorb. Remove from heat and add plenty of grated parmesan and a knob of butter to the rice and stir it in.

While the risotto is cooking, trim the wooden ends off the asparagus. Save two asparagus tips per portion as garnish and cut the rest into smaller pieces on the diagonal. Boil the asparagus pieces until almost soft in salted water. Drain and add to the risotto just after the parmesan. Cook the asparagus tips al dente in salted water and set aside. Add wild garlic butter and lemon zest to the risotto. Season to taste.

Divide the risotto between bowls. Arrange the asparagus tips in the middle of the bowl. Drizzle with browned butter. Place the wild garlic butter on top of the aspragus. Scatter with lemon zest and grated parmesan and serve.

Recipe: Asparagus with Burrata, Wild Garlic Oil and Lemon

Published on June 29, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

I was so pleased to get hold of some of my favourite foods during lockdown; British asparagus and burrata. So grateful Natoora opened up their restaurant delivery slots to the public. Because during this period I have lived for food. I took it upon myself to cook every night, make cakes and make sure we could enjoy nice food even though we couldn’t go out to restaurant. So yes, I’ve eaten very well during lockdown, but I have also been mindful, stretching food to go longer, and have mixed expensive foods with very economical dishes.

The best quality asparagus and burrata wouldn’t feel so special if we ate it every day, but you also want to make sure you make the most out of the short asparagus season.

I’m very pleased with this simple dish – which is more an assembly job than proper cooking. And that’s how to best enjoy the freshest of produce, in the simplest of ways. Asparagus with hollandaise or wild garlic mayo are two of my favourite ways to eat it, and now I have a third way: this!

Asparagus with burrata, wild garlic oil and lemon, serves 3

9 asparagus stems (preferably nice and thick)

125 g burrata, at room temperature

1 large handful wild garlic leaves, washed

100 ml vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, the zest

sea salt flakes and black pepper

Trim the wooden ends off the asparagus. Blanch them quickly in boiling water. Drain and fry with a tiny amount of oil in the pan until they’ve browned a little. Mix the wild garlic leaves with oil using a stick blender.

Divide the asparagus among the plates. Divide the burrata. Drizzle with wild garlic oil (approx 1 tbsp per plate). Add lemon zest and plenty of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Hello March (and hopefully Spring!)

Published on March 2, 2020March 2, 2020 by HannaLeave a comment

March is here. With more light, longer days and spring blossoms galore! I’m so happy spring is finally within reach.

I’m SO looking forward to the first fresh produce of the season, so thought I would share some of my favourite early spring recipes with you. We have blood oranges! Wild garlic! Rhubarb! (The forced one are already here.) And the most divine cheese!

Wild garlic pesto is a must as soon as the little green leaves are sprouting. The season can start as early as February and continue on towards May/June. Definitely one of my favourite seasons!

Fried gnocchi with wild garlic pesto and cherry tomatoes is spring on a plate!

And this orzo pasta with courgette and feta is absolutely delicious! Pairs well with roast chicken or pork fillet. Yum!

Also love these wild garlic fritters!

And these oysters au gratin with Västerbotten cheese and wild garlic are divine! The perfect dinner party starter in spring.

Another delicious starter is this one; portobello mushrooms stuffed with wild garlic and cheese! Old school and so good!

But the simplest wild garlic recipe (perfect for the wild garlic beginners) is wild garlic bread. Basically buttery garlic bread but with wild garlic instead of regular garlic. It will get you hooked on this lovely herb, I promise!

The cheese I mentioned in the beginning of this post is only available for a few months each year and March is the end of the season, so make sure you have one before it’s too late. I love it baked with boiled new potatoes and charcuterie.

Also blood oranges are available for a limited time, so go get some now! It’s a short season but make the most of it as they are so so good! This simple blood orange salad with biscotti is easy to throw together any day of the week.

I also love this blood orange pannacotta – it’s absolutely delicious!

Moving on to rhubarb, this tart with creme patisserie is so lovely!

And this rhubarb meringue pie is amazingly delicious!

But this might be my absolutely favourite when it comes to rhubarb: a puff pastry and custard rhubarb tart! It’s heaven served with some lightly whipped cream!

Bring on Spring!

Recipe: oysters au gratin with Västerbotten cheese and wild garlic

Published on May 22, 2019 by Hanna1 Comment

I love oysters; both au naturelle and cooked. So you can only imagine that I felt like I was in heaven when I visited Cape Cod a few summers ago. I don’t think I ate anything other than seafood while I was there!

APC_4995

When cooking oysters at home, I think the au gratin concept is the best approach, as it’s easy, quick and seriously delicious!

This recipe with Swedish Västerbotten cheese and wild garlic is perfect for spring (and you can of course substitute the Swedish cheese with parmesan or even cheddar) and we followed it up with asparagus (some harvested in our own garden!) and hollandaise sauce as well as prawns (cooked and smoked), homemade mayonnaise and wild garlic bread. It was quite the feast and such a treat to enjoy it with my parents! As we don’t see each other all that often we try to make it special when we are together.

Oysters au gratin with Västerbotten cheese and wild garlic, serves 3 as a starter

With two more courses two oysters each was the perfect amount, but if you’re having a light main course I would recommend three oysters per person.

6 fresh oysters

3 tbsp double cream

3 tbsp grated Västerbotten cheese

1/2 – 1 tsp Dijon mustard

approx 6 wild garlic leaves, finely chopped

salt, black pepper

To serve:

nice bread

Open the oysters with an oyster knife and discard the top shell. Cut loose the oysters but keep on the shells and place in an ovenproof dish. Mix cream and mustard in a bowl and add cheese and most of wild garlic. Season well. Spoon the mixture over the oysters, enough to cover them and sprinkle some more wild garlic on top. Place under a hot grill or in a very hot oven (225C) until bubbly and a little brown, approx 3-5 minutes. Serve with baguette or crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Recipe: wild garlic fritters

Published on June 5, 2018June 5, 2018 by Hanna1 Comment

Wild garlic season is almost over now, but luckily there were a few leaves left when I was in Sweden last and I used them wisely by trying a completely new recipe!

As you may know by now, I love fritters and have a few recipes on the blog already, but when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit I couldn’t resist trying it. Wild garlic is my favourite flavour in spring (together with asparagus and rhubarb) as it’s less pungent than garlic. It seems fresher somehow. But it also reminds me of my childhood, of going for walks in the woods and sensing that onion-y smell when they were first in season, and later spotting the pretty white flowers.

The fritters turned out really well, even though I tweaked the recipe a bit, and both my parents gave them the thumbs up. I thought the fritters needed a sidekick and served my parmesan crème alongside them. Yum!

Wild garlic fritters, serves 4 as a starter

Adapted from Bon Appetit’s recipe.

a bunch of wild garlic, approx 8 cm in diameter

135 g plain flour

120 g potato flour or rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

100-200 ml sparkling water

approx 200-300 ml vegetable oil for frying

lemon wedges to serve

Rinse the wild garlic and pat dry with kitchen towel. Remove the coarse part of the stems. Cut into 1 cm long pieces and put to the side.

Mix flour, potato flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the sparkling water until you have a batter that isn’t too thick or too thin. Add the wild garlic and mix well.

Pour the oil into a high-sided frying pan until it is about 1 cm deep. Heat on medium-high heat until warm enough for deep-frying (it’s ready when a small piece of bread comes out golden).

Add spoonfuls of the batter to the hot pan and fry until gold first one one side and then the other. Drain on kitchen towel. Serve with lemon wedges and parmesan crème.

Recipe: pizza with asparagus and wild garlic pesto

Published on June 1, 2017June 1, 2017 by HannaLeave a comment

I actually had the intention to make a sourdough pizza with this topping but didn’t have enough time in the end, so used my tried and tested Italian pizza dough recipe, courtesy of Gennaro Contaldo, Jamie Oliver’s Italian mentor.

I also used my go-to simple tomato sauce that I use for everything and my homemade wild garlic pesto. My best tip is to pick lots of wild garlic leaves when in season and blanch some of it, squeeze out the liquid and freeze in little parcels. Perfect to use for pesto or mayonnaise.

The all you need is a good buffalo mozzarella, some asparagus, parmesan and olive oil.

I promise it’s like tasting spring. Delicious!

Italian pizza dough, 2 pizzas

500 g 00-flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast

325 ml lukewarm water

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast. Add the water bit by bit while stirring with a wooden fork. Knead the dough until elastic. Cut the dough into two and shape to round balls. Put the dough balls back in the mixing bowl, sprinkle with flour and cover. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for 90 minutes.

Shape the dough into round pizzas or use a rolling pin to roll it out thinly. Add the toppings you like and bake in 225C, in a low oven, for 8-10 minutes.

Tomato sauce, for one batch pizza dough

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes

salt and pepper

Fry the garlic in the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the chopped tomatoes, some water and the tomato paste. Cook for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally, until it has thickened. Season to taste and put aside.

Wild garlic pesto, approx 250 ml pesto

ca 50-70 g wild garlic (about a bunch as stick as a small banana)

30 g almonds

40 g parmesan

1/2 lemon, juice only

mild oil, approx 100-150 ml

salt & pepper

Mix wild garlic, almonds, lemon juice and parmesan with a bit of oil to a paste in a food processor or with a stick blender. Keep adding oil until you have the consistency you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keeps in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Topping per pizza:

1/2 batch tomato sauce

olive oil

1 buffalo mozzarella

4-5 asparagus, blanched and cut into smaller pieces

3-4 tbsp wild garlic pesto

parmesan

Roll out the dough and drizzle some olive oil on it. Spread out the tomato sauce. Shred the mozzarella into chunks and place on the pizza. Add the asparagus pieces and dollops of wild garlic pesto. Grate over parmesan. Add a little more olive oil and put it in the oven on 225C, middle to low oven for 8-10 minutes.