Wild Garlic, Cauliflower 'Steak' and Chickpea Curry

I haven't been that adventurous in the kitchen, sticking closely to familiar dishes that I can knock up with ease from memory.

I am hoping come the long Easter weekend, I will be able to play in my kitchen, but I already have plans to meet with friends and leave D home alone; and then when I am home - I have to turn my attention to the allotment garden plot.

One of these easy dishes was this Cauliflower Chickpea Curry.  I did put a little seasonal twist on the Cauliflower Chickpea curry and stirred through a handful of wild garlic.  Obviously if you don't have wild garlic, spinach, chard or kale will be fine too.   

While I still can, I will also pretentiously call the cauliflower slabs - 'steaks' !

I often make this dish vegan, but this time in place of the vegetable/olive oil, I added salted butter and D loved the unctuous richness.  

I am sharing this with My Legume Love Affair #127 which is being hosted by Motions and Emotions this month.  The food blog challenge was started by Susan from The Well Seasoned Cook and continues thanks to Lisa's Kitchen.  Adapted from this recipe Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry in place of the runner beans is a good handful of wild garlic; and in place of the vegetable/olive oil - salted butter, but feel free to keep it vegan if you wish.  

vegan Shepherds Pie with Wild Garlic Mash

April showers continue... 

I made this Shepherds Pie last week with the wild garlic that came in the vegetable box I was trialling last month.  I haven't had the opportunity to go out foraging yet, but I know I will soon when the weather is a little more kinder.  I am just not prepared to go out and get a wet at the moment, even for free food - I find myself pretty drenched with rain when waiting at bus stops with no shelter. 

Anyway, this is one of my go to vegan Shepherds Pie recipe made with textured vegetable protein.  However, I did make some minor changes, such as the choice of vegetables.  This time there are chunks of swede and carrots, and of course the mashed potato topping which was enhanced with wild garlic.  Its one of the things I like about this recipe as you can vary it with different vegetables. 

The recipe serves 6 to 8 people generously.  It was lovely.  My only regret is not showing it to you when it was baked with the lovely golden topping and moreso, it came out compact out of the baking dish, no mush!  

vegan Wild Garlic Scones

Last month I wrote an epic blog post about Wild Garlic and recipes that I've made and shared on my blog.  I also wrote about some wild garlic recipes that I want to make or recipes that I was planning to adapt with wild garlic. One such recipe was from the Green Gourmet Giraffe Savoury Silverbeet, Basil and Pistachio Pesto Scones. 

Well I did try to follow the scone recipe closely and I did so for most of the part, but the main adaptation was with the wild garlic pesto recipe.  

Johanna's pesto had pistachio, I had pine nuts and where she had chard and basil, I had wild garlic, but for all the good it was - my scones did not turn out as brilliantly green as hers. 

I admit I was a little disappointed as all I had was specks of greenness, but I was still WOWed at the rise of the scones as most savoury scone recipes I have made have failed in the rise (not the flavour), but there was also a brilliant lightness to them.  In addition the strong wild garlic flavour came through wonderfully. 

You can find Johanna's recipe for the vegan scones here, but please note my changes for the pesto and you may want to increase the quantity of wild garlic. However, if you want to make a vegetarian version of Wild Garlic Scones then I strongly suggest making Yasmin Limbert's Wild Garlic Scones with Cheese.  Yasmin Limbert was a contestant on the Great British Bake Off in 2011.   She continues to share her food and recipes on her blog Yasmin Limbert, please do check it out for inspiration. 

I am sharing these vegan Wild Garlic Scones with The Veg Hog who is hosting #EatYourGreens this month.  Please do join in there is plenty of time by following this link on how to join in.  

Wild Garlic Manifesto or My Wild Garlic Cookbook

Wild Garlic Manifesto.

It all started with Denis Cotter.  Denis Cotter was the first vegetarian chef to showcase wild garlic.  He was also the source of my inspiration, as  the very first wild garlic recipe to appear on my blog almost ten years ago was inspired by him.  This Wild Garlic Walnut Pesto comes from his cookbook aptly called Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me (2010). 

Since then there has been no stopping me. I struggled to find recipes for wild garlic at the time, even celebrity chefs and the world wide web proved disappointing at the time, so I started adapting , being inspired and created many of my own wild garlic recipes, even throwing some into tinned beans, because in my greed I had foraged so much of it.  Some recipes were original at the time and some were not so much, however  over time more and more wild garlic recipes started appearing both on blogosphere and cookbooks, that there is no longer an excuse for lack of recipes ideas and ways of using wild garlic in cooking.  

I still I remain inspired by some humble food bloggers.  I have grand plans to adapt the Green Gourmet Giraffe Savoury Green Pesto Scones with wild garlic, by the way Johanna makes the best savoury vegan and vegetarian scones in my humble opinion.  I also want to adapt this Coriander Salsa recipe and Green Curry made with spinach and coriander with wild garlic.

I decided to write this blog post for two reasons.  One its that seasonal time of year for picking wild garlic around parks, the countryside and foragers secret spots.  Secondly, I was both surprised and pleased to find some in my vegetable box this week,  so rather than re-invent the wheel, I thought I would share a selection of Wild Garlic recipes that have appeared on my blog over the last 10 years in the hope that it will inspire those of you new to wild garlic; and as a word of encouragement, experiment with wild garlic as you would spinach, please don't be tied down to recipes.  Above you will find:  Wild Garlic Farinata or Socca; Wild Garlic Crisps and Wild Garlic Hummus.  

Little savoury wild garlic chickpea pancakes or fritters.

Wild garlic oatcakes

Wild garlic Hummus

Free Falling Wild Garlic Pakoras.  You can be more experimental and add it to falafels or polpettes.

 Wild garlic Chickpea Curry

 Wild garlic Channa Dal

Wild garlic Roti

Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta

Wild Garlic Frittata or Tortilla

Wild garlic and Feta Quiche

 Wild garlic Macaroni Cheese

Trio of Garlic Savoury Cake: Wild Garlic, Black Garlic and  White Garlic

Wild Garlic, Potato, Feta and Pine Nut Quiche 

Wild garlic Gnocchi inspired by Denis Cotter stinging nettle gnocchi.  

Wild garlic Rice with Peas or add wild garlic to Risotto

Wild garlic Potato Salad with Mixed Beans

Wild garlic Tabbouleh

 Wild garlic Soup with Wild Garlic Flowers

Wild garlic Potato Cakes

Wild Garlic Poached Eggs or add it to an Omelette.

I will end with a very green Wild Garlic Pesto jar - the first recipe many make with their foraged bunch of wild garlic.  I am sharing this blog post with  The Hearth and Soul Link Party hosted by April J Harris.

Other bookmarked Wild Garlic recipes to make from fellow bloggers

The Ordinary Cooks Wild Garlic Pull Apart Loaf

The Ordinary Cooks Wild Garlic Bread 

Sylvan Somethings Wild Garlic Mousse 

Wild Garlic, Black Garlic and White Garlic Cake

Before I  begin this blog post, I must make it clear that this is not sweet cake, it is a savoury one and one with lots of  oomf!

Some of you will remember that I had foraged for some wild garlic last week, well this is the seasonal recipe that I made, but I also decided to stir in some Black Garlic and fresh white garlic. This Three Garlic Savoury Cake is based on the Broccoli Cake that I made last month.

The wild garlic added herbiness and colour, the black garlic added an unexpected surprise sweetness and welcome balsamic zingness, as well as charcoal studded teardrops here and there. And finally, the white garlic, invisible to the eye but it was there in that warming flavour.  All three added fragrance that was undeniably garlic!

Wild Garlic, Mushroom and Brie Quesadillas

Some of you already know of my home-made Garlic Mushroom and Parsley Pies, but another dish that makes the most of garlic and mushrooms are these Garlic, Mushroom Quesadillas.  This is such an easy peasy recipe knock up when the hunger pangs rumble.

I've used Brie cheese here, like cheddar cheese it tends to be in my fridge, but feel free to use whatever you like - a strong blue cheese would work well, as would oozy mozzarella.

Well early in the week, there was not much in the house to eat in the way of fresh vegetables, except for some mushrooms starting to look a little tired and an open packet of tortilla wraps that were beginning to go hard as I had not wrapped the packet properly.  So this is what  I made to eat as a light snack.  Except it not a light snack when you eat a whole one!

If you don't have any wild garlic, that's okay as the crushed garlic cloves in it would give you enough garlic hit.   I've used wild garlic here for two reasons.  One, I had some in the fridge and secondly for the green colour.  You must admit the colour of sauteed 'sluggish' mushrooms is not always the most attractive to the eye.

Wild Garlic Chickpea Pancakes

Last week I mentioned that I had foraged for some wild garlic, and I promised to share with you some new dishes that I have made with it. So here goes, today I share with you some little savoury wild garlic chickpea pancakes.   

I often describe these chickpea pancakes to people who have not had it before as a flat version of the South Asian onion bhaji aka pakoras. I decided to enhance my plain chickpea pancakes with wild garlic, but if you can't find wild garlic where you are, feel free to substitute with spinach, rocket or any other soft leafy green that takes your fancy, maybe even a herb like coriander, parsley, mint or chives!

These chickpea pancakes are shallow fried in a wide pan.  When I am impatient, I enjoy eating them, especially hot straight from the pan, but they are best warm dipped in a homemade chutney.  I must say though, they are not so good cold. For more wild garlic recipes, please follow this link on my blog for inspiration.

Mushroom Strogonoff with Garlic Chives

Although the sun has been peeking out, its been quite chilly today.

I made one of my quick suppers - Mushroom Strogonoff  - its featured on my blog before, but in place of double cream I used soured cream.  I also had some garlic chives that I picked up last weekend from a farmers market that I frequent every fortnight now.  So I decided to mince some of these down to put into the strogonoff and I kept some stems back for garnish.  

The garlic chives were new to me.  They were certainly garlicky in taste.  I found the some of the stems a tad tough sticking a little to my throat as I swallowed, so I would recommend mincing them. 

You can serve the mushroom strogonoff over bulgar wheat or pasta if you wish, but my preference is steamed or boiled Basmati rice.

Vegan Garlic Mushroom Parsley Pies

I've created lots of individual hand-made pies over the past year with unusual pie fillings such as these  Paprika Mushroom and Potato Pies , Soy Mince 'Keema' Pies,  so much so that some people jokingly call me 'Veggie Pie' or 'Vegan Pie Girl' in my little corner of Wales.   There are also a couple of vegetarian ones such as my Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pies aka the Welsh Pie; and Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Feta Pie.

I've mentioned the Garlic and Mushroom Pies in a past blog post, but noted recently that I had not yet shared a recipe or blogged about it in much detail.  My Garlic Mushroom Pies were the first pies to sell out at the cafeteria.  It was also the first pies to sell out at the couple of food and crafts Fayre's I've attended.  I've learned recently because of my absence at a vegan food fayre this month, one of the other vegan stalls has decided to recreate a version of my vegan Garlic Mushroom Pies - I guess I should see it only as a compliment; not just that a fairly newish vegetarian cafe in South Wales has also started making tarts with garlic mushroom filling - I guess I'm a trend setter.

I think its quite funny how I came to create these Garlic Mushroom Pies and its something I'd like to share with those of you still reading my blog (Thank you). I would have people coming into the cafeteria, sitting down and without even looking at the daily chalked boards: ordering Jacket potato topped with buttery garlic mushrooms. My staff would look at them and think when was it the last time you were here?! Certainly not a loyal customer as the previous owners sold the cafeteria to my landlords three - four years ago. It hasn't been on the menu for yonkie years.

I don't mean to sound snobbish, but I am a serious vegetarian cook and jacket potato for me is homely food that anyone can make.  Its also a easy peasy back up for those mainstream eateries that don't have many suitable options for vegetarians and vegans.  Well you won't find jacket potatoes topped with salads on the menu here. I also don't understand some people, they don't come by an independent family run eatery for months, then come back a few years later expecting the same grub on the menu.  This is not a high street food chain.  

Anyway, enough of the rant.  It got me thinking, instead of turning away these potential customers (albiet they may not be back again in another three - four years) what could I do to encourage them to stay and try something new and different.  Well I thought I'd merge garlic mushroom and potatoes in a pastry casing.  The response from my regular loyal customers of all diets has been fantastic.  It also shows how much people have becomes adventurous, I remember a time when people used to turn their noses up at garlic, accuse people of having garlic breath and blurt out their stereotypes of the French. The opportunity to travel abroad has definitely opened up some peoples eyes and palettes to different worldwide cuisines and versatility of ingredients such as the garlic that is the star of this pie.

Whenever these pies are featured, they do really sell out and unlike the original Jacket Potato with garlic Mushroom which were drenched in butter, l these are suitable for vegans and those who avoid dairy. They are so popular and are on the menu every two weeks. Usually at the start of the week when I have loads of mushrooms left over from Saturday Vegetarian Breakfast.  

If too much garlic worries you. You can tame it a little by adding in a couple of cooked and diced potatoes to the mix, this would also sup up some of the juices and stop the pie from getting a soggy bottom. The trick really is to make the pastry bottom a little thicker than the lid.

For those of you interested, this week I also made Wild Garlic Mushroom Pies.  I will share that recipe later this month.  They were just as popular as these.   I am sharing these Garlic Mushroom pies with Javelin Warrior's for his Made with Love Mondays as they fit in nicely with this weeks optional theme of fresh mushrooms.
Garlic Mushroom Parsley Pies
Makes 6 - 8pies
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and crushed
400g - 600g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned, halved or quartered if large
1 teaspoon dried parsley or I tablespoon freshly minced parsley
Optional: 200g peeled, cubed and cooked potatoes 
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a wide pan, heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic and sauté for 1 minute before adding in the mushrooms. Keep the heat high and cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened.
Stir in the parsley optional potatoes and seasoning to taste.  Stir to combine well, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Now make the pastryYou have three choices for the pastry.
For ease, you can use shop bought puff pastry or shortcrust pastry – in which case pour the filling into a casserole and top with the pastry and cook according to packet instructions.
Or you can make your own shortcrust pastry. For recipe follow here.
Or You can make you own hot water crust pastry. Follow here for the recipe. For individual pies, see here.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5.
Fill the pastry and top with lid.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes depending on the size of your shortcrust or hot water crust pastry pie(s). Allow to cool, before serving.

Wild Weed Tortilla

Last year I think I overdosed on wild garlic, not literally - just in a culinary sense.  I dubbed my two week wild garlic culinary binge as The Wild Garlic Chronicles, even cheekily Wild Garlic Girl.  So as you can imagine, I have been a little hesitant foraging for some this year, but whilst driving through a narrow lane a week or so back, I spotted some growing and decided to return to forage for some.  On return the wild garlic was shooting up its edible flower buds like firework sparklers.   

Its funny, around this time I struggled to find many Wild Garlic recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet, but this year - wow - there has been an explosion both the Internet and blogosphere and you can find lots of ideas and inspiration for your foraged wild garlic.  Other than the usual pestos, soups, breads, pasta dishes, potato cakes and egg dishes like frittata, souffles and quiches, you will find it in scones, quinoa patties to deep or shallow fried fritters, added to 'curry style' dishes, as well as enhancing traditional recipes like basic pastry, coleslaw, mayonnaise, aioli and salsa verdes .  Anyway, this was going to be a plain old 'Wild Garlic Tortilla', but having briefly visited my Dads allotment a couple of days ago I picked some wild stinging nettle and in my own garden some young dandelion leaves, so I decided to add some of these to the tortilla.  I wanted a little more texture too, so in place of my usual garden peas, I also threw in some cooked chickpeas.

I garnished the completed Wild Weed Tortilla with wild garlic flowers for optional extra heat, for those who dared for a little extra bite. 

Wild Garlic Tabouli

Well the 'Wild Garlic Chronicles' have come to a happy end.  I know some of you will be relieved and some disappointed, but hey there is so much Wild Garlic a girl can eat and I have certainly eaten more than my fair share. 

Just in case any of you have been wondering about 'side effects' to consuming copious amounts of Wild Garlic, I can truthfully report that there have been no belly upsets or wakey wakey nights. I have really found wild garlic agreeable.

The last dish on my blog (for this year at least) to contain fresh wild garlic is Tabouli or Tabbouleh.  Tabouli  is a Lebanese salad made with a grain called bulgar wheat. The salad is enhanced with a lot of fresh parsley, mint and lemon for seasoning. You know there is even a Tabbouli Song. 

The first time I ever had Tabouli was whilst at University. I was invited for lunch at the home of a Scottish-Armenian friend.  I was so amazed to see her put the salad together there right before my eyes.  She made a mound.  A few years later, I saw Tabouli as part of a light buffet.  Tabouli is definitely one of those dishes you make for sharing.  Here is a Fairtrade Tabouli recipe. My recipe is very similar, except in place of the mint I've added about 6 leaves of minced wild garlic, black olives and some red pepper for colour.

Wild Garlic and Feta Quiche

Well the sunshine is blazing and the sky is azure blue.  And a slice of this 'Wild Garlic and Feta Quiche' is the kind of food I want to be lunching on, whilst working in the outdoors, in this case my garden.  It can be made well in advance, and be enjoyed warm or cold.

I'd like to say that I am actually doing a bit of gardening, such as sowing seeds, digging the earth or cutting the long green grass.  Sadly that is not the case.  Instead we have been going the garden shed 'spring cleaning'.  Building piles of things to go to their new homes: some for the charity shop, some that can be recycled, some that will come with us when we move later this year and some for the bin.  D mentioned perhaps having a 'boot sale'.  I don't know whether he was joking or being serious, but its a real possibility, especially as we can make a few pounds with some of our unwanted goods (and let face it we haven't had any money coming in the past two months). 

This Wild Garlic and Feta Quiche recipe is based on the Wild Garlic, Potato, Feta and Pine Nut Quiche I made last year.  Updated: 22/05/2012: Fellow blogger Sylvan of Sylvan Somethings made a variation of this tart, follow this link.  She also has a lovely recipe for Wild Garlic Mousse to share.

Wild Garlic and Feta Quiche
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
Follow a reliable shortcrust pastry recipe that will cover a 8 – 9 inch tart tin and blind bake according to instructions.
For the filling
100g – 150g wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped
100g feta cheese, crumbled
4 medium eggs
150ml single cream
Pepper to taste
Method
For the pastry
Preheat oven to gas mark 4.
For the filling
Combine the feta and wild garlic. Beat the eggs lightly with the cream. Season lightly with pepper. Layer the wild garlic and feta in the pastry shell and then pour in the egg mixture, allowing it to seep down through the layers. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, until it is set and the top is lightly coloured.