Nicola took Willow for a walk along the hedgerows yesterday and picked some cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) which she made into a delicious pesto. One of the earlier plants to make an appearance, be aware that cow parsley can be mistaken for hemlock, so take a look at this post to make sure that you pick the right plant. You might also like to try this recipe for cow parsley soup.
Ingredients
- A good handful of young cow parsley shoots
- Couple of cloves of garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Walnuts
- Pinch of salt
- Olive oil
How to make cow parsley pesto
- Peel the garlic and pound it in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of sea salt
- Roughly chop the cow parsley and grind it to a paste (or pulse in a food processor, it’s easier!)
- Add the walnuts and pound (or pulse) again
- Stir in half the Parmesan cheese
- Drizzle in some oil
- Add most of the remaining cheese
- Have a taste, and keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency
I can vouch that it is absolutely delicious and definitely worth a try. I had mine with a cup of cleavers (Galium aparine) tea, a great spring tonic and incredibly refreshing.
We identify, collect and cook with a wide range of plants on our Wild Foods & Woodland Cooking course. You can see loads of photos from that, and all of our other courses, on our Facebook page.
