4 Ways With Our Green Garlic

Our green garlic is the perfect ingredient to fill the early Spring gap, when fresh UK grown produce is dwindling. Harvested before the bulb fully develops, it has a milder, fresher taste compared to the mature, fully cured bulbs you typically find later in the year and is sweet and mellow in a variety of dishes. Here are a few ideas to get you cooking.

Roasted

Slice lengthways, dowse in plenty of extra virgin olive oil and a big squeeze of lemon and roast in a baking tray on a low oven for around 20 minutes, turning half way through. Season well with salt and black pepper and serve with good bread to mop up the oily juices.

Pesto

Trim and roughly chop your bunch of green garlic and add to a blender or food processor. Throw in a handful of basil leaves, 1/2 a cup of pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and the juice of a lemon. Blitz well and then slowly add a 1/4 cup of extra virgin, pouring in through the top whilst blitzing. Add a splash of water to loosen and season well.

Spiced

Chop into slices, keeping the white ends separate from the green. Sauté the white ends first in some extra virgin. Then add the greener ends and add 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook for a few minutes and then serve with salted yogurt and a flatbread of your choice.

Raw

Finely slice the green garlic, white roots and green tops. Add to a large bowl along with a bag of Barcombe salad leaves, thinly sliced radishes and cucumber. Cut the peel from an orange and segment carefully, add to the bowl. In a small jug whisk together 3 tablespoons of Honest Toil extra virgin, 1 tablespoon of Big Beardy cider apple vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Sussex Bee honey and 1 teaspoon of Third Culture Kat's Kashmiri chilli oil. Season well and then dress the leaves. Scatter with a handful of toasted nuts and seeds of your choice.