Month: April 2018

I thought I would post the recipe for the bärlauch pesto I made last week. (It’s loosely based on a recipe for basil pesto that I took decades ago from a Cuisinart Food Processor booklet.)

• Fresh Bärlauch (1 package)
• Parmesan cheese (a fair-sized hunk, chopped into cubes)
• Pine nuts (about 1/4 cup)
• Garlic, 1 clove (optional)
• Olive oil (a lot)
• Lemon juice (1/4 lemon)
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Pulverize the parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and optional garlic in the food processor
2. Add in Bärlauch to running food processor
3. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until the pesto reaches the desired consistency
4. Lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste
5. Serve with freshly cooked al dente pasta

Yeah sorry, I’m not too big on exact quantities in my recipes. I tend to eyeball them based on the quantity I have of the main ingredient(s).

Bärlauch (literally “Bear leeks”), also known as ramsons or wild garlic, is a wild relative of chives that is native to Europe (and Asia). Here in Switzerland it appears in the produce section of grocery stores at this time of year. Last night I bought my first bunch and baked it into a quiche along with asparagus and potatoes. Its rich garlicky taste really made the quiche. Today I bought a second bunch and tonight I am making it into a pesto (substituting it for basil). I probably won’t need to add in any extra garlic at all. I love learning about new food items like this! (Hat tip to Birgit, my German teacher, for telling me about bärlauch.)