Green dreams are made of this...
Tagliatelle with Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto
Green is such an appetizing colour, and this is quite possibly the greenest green I've ever seen in a bowl (that isn't a salad). A simple, quick dish that I enjoy for lunch but could quite easily be made for an evening meal, even for a special occasion. It's absolutely bursting with flavour - sharp, clean and fresh with a hint of heat.
There are loads of traditional pesto recipes using ramsons out there, but I wanted to try something different. And if truth be told, I didn't have any pecorino, parmesan or pine nuts so came up with this vegan alternative, which, in my opinion, holds up to any of the more traditional variations. Wild garlic pesto really packs a punch, you don't need a lot to get the taste so be sparing, unless you're like me and could eat it spread on toast.
This pesto works well with orzo and gnocchi and even as a dip!
Ingredients - to serve 2
Enough Tagliatelle for two people (you could use any pasta, but I love tagliatelle)
For the Pesto
2 handfuls of wild garlic, washed, drained and roughly chopped
Olive Oil
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 small chili finely chopped (de-seeded if you can't stand the heat)
Method
Bring a pan of water to the boil with a little salt, cook the pasta according to the instructions.
In the meantime, add all the pesto ingredients to a bullet blender and pulse until almost smooth, add as much oil as you would need to create a nice saucy consistency, about 2 good slugs.
Drain the pasta, leaving a couple of tablespoons of water in the pan, and stir in roughly 3 tbsps of the pesto over a very low heat, until heated through.
If there is any remaining pesto you can transfer it to a jar, cover with a slug of oil, pop the lid on and keep in the fridge for about a week.
Serve in bowls sprinkled with more chili flakes if desired.