Bear’s Garlic Pesto / Ail des ours

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ail des ours, bears garlic, Pasta, pasta sauces, pesto, ramps, wild garlic

Ail des ours – known as ramps, ramsons, buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, or bear’s garlic – is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Asia. The Latin name, Allium ursinum, and the french name, is due to the brown bear’s taste for the bulbs and its habit of digging up the ground to get at them; they are also a favourite of wild boar.

Wild garlic can be found growing prolifically throughout the countryside between the months of March and May. The plant is usually found in damp areas of woodland or riverbanks. You’ll be able to identify the flowers by their strong, distinctive garlicky smell. Used in cooking for hundreds of years for its fragrant flavour and antibacterial properties (soldiers in the First World War used the plant as an antiseptic), wild garlic is the perfect representation of spring. The second warmer weather begins to make an appearance, the shoots burst through the topsoil and begin to spread like wildfire. Wild garlic is part of the allium family, along with onions, leeks and (unsurprisingly) garlic. It’s a not too distant relative of the chive and can be eaten in the same way, as the stem, leaf and star-shaped white flowers are all edible. The abundance of wild garlic in the countryside is taken full advantage of by chefs, who use it to flavour all manner of dishes throughout the short season; some even preserve and ferment the leaves for use later on in the year. Obviously, wild garlic tastes like garlic. But it differs from the more common cloves as it is more mellow and has a distinct grassy flavour. The raw leaves have a strong pungent smell, but taste delicate and sweet. Early on in the season, some leaves can be quite fiery, so make sure you sample them before adding to a recipe to avoid disasters.

They are not easy to find and so I was thrilled to find some at my local market on Tuesday.  I grabbed handfuls, filling up a big bag with the leaves and took them home to make some pesto. The good thing about pesto is that it’s easy to make adjustments as you go. Just pound, stir, or blend, until it’s to your liking. It’s especially good mixed with pasta, on its own, or with steamed spring vegetables tossed in, like fresh peas or fava beans, asparagus, or well-wilted greens. I love it smeared on little crostini as an appetizer, atop slices of slightly aged goat cheese.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (375ml)

Ingredients:

200g / 7oz bear’s garlic, trimmed of tough stems (about 4 cups roughly chopped)

1/3 – 1/2 cup /  (35-60g) shelled pistachios

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil

1/2 cup (50g) grated Parmesan

 

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions
In a food processor, add all the ingredients, except the olive oil and puree on pulse for a minute
(Using the larger quantity of pistachios will make it thicker)
Dribble some of the olive oil in along the way, to create an emulsion

Taste, and add additional salt, if necessary

If the pesto is very thick, it can be thinned with additional olive oil
I often leave it thick, and if tossing it with warm, just-cooked pasta, will add additional olive oil to the pesto-slicked pasta at the last minute, to get it to the desired consistency
Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and toss
Serve immediately
Enjoy!

Storage: The pesto will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator
The pesto can be frozen for up to two months

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Tagliatelle with Black Truffle Cream Sauce

Tags

black truffle, cream, Pasta, tagliatelle, truffle

This is a truly luxurious dish. The pasta is lavished in a truffle-infused cream sauce before adding a few additional shavings for good measure.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

25o g / 8 oz Tagliatelle
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250 ml / 1 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
60 g / 2 oz Parmesan cheese , plus extra to serve
1 fresh truffle

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil
Add salt and tagliatelle, cook until al dente, according to package instructions
Meanwhile, make the sauce
Gently heat the cream in a large sauté pan on a low heat
Separate the egg yolk (save the white for another day) and whisk into the pan
Grate and gently whisk in the Parmesan
Season well with sea salt and black pepper
Using tongs, drop the tagliatelle into the sauce and toss well, adding splashes of the cooking water to loosen into a lovely, silky sauce (if necessary)
Serve with shavings of truffle
Enjoy!

 

Pappardelle with Pork Ragu and Burrata

Tags

burrata, pappardelle, Pasta, Pork, ragu

This is one of my all time favourite pasta dishes and I am not sure why I have not shared it with you earlier. It is one of those dishes that every time, I go to stir the pot, I have to have a taste or two or sometimes even three. By the time it is ready, I have usually eaten the equivalent of an entire portion size but does that stop me, hell no! I cannot wait to add the pasta and cheese and dig in with great gusto, (and if you do not tell anyone, then no one will be any the wiser – except maybe my waistline).

Meaty pork meat adds hearty flavor to this ragù, which marries perfectly with  pappardelle, wide ribbons of egg pasta. This dish would work well with game such as wild boar meat. The pasta is topped with fresh burrata cheese to give it an extra richness and creaminess. If you cannot get hold of real burrata, then just use a sprinkling of parmesan. Do not use regular mozzarella, it will simply be too rubbery and not add anything to the final dish whatsoever.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 800 g / 1.7 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 250 ml / 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 can (28 oz./875 g) crushed plum tomatoes
• 125 ml / 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Pappardelle
• 1 to 1 1/2 balls burrata cheese

Preparation:

In a large dutch oven, (I used a Le Creuset 28 cm / 11″), heat the oil over medium high heat
Sear the pork until browned all over, about 8 minutes, and set aside
Add the onion, carrot and garlic and allow to soften, about 4 minutes
Add salt and pepper
Return the pork to the pan
Add the wine, tomatoes and  beef broth – the pork should be mostly covered by liquid, if not add more wine or broth
Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes
Add the balsamic vinegar, rosemary and thyme sprigs
Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally (you could place the dish in a preheated oven at 160 C / 320 F at this stage)
If necessary add a bit more wine or broth
Remove the lid and, using two forks, shred the pork into bite-size pieces
Discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions
Drain the pasta and add to the ragu, stirring to ensure it is all coated
Tear the burrata into pieces and arrange on top of the pasta and serve immediately
Enjoy!

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