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Nettle gnudi with wild pesto
Nettle gnudi with wild pesto
A star rating of 3.7 out of 5.3 ratings

These Italian dumplings are like light balls of ricotta gnocchi, or the filling for ravioli - use freshly foraged nettles for a simple sauce

Cheese & pesto whirls
Cheese & pesto whirls
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.67 ratings

These herby tear-and-share bread rolls have mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes baked into them - perfect for a picnic or for dipping into soup

  • 150g wild garlic leaves
    or young nettles, or a mixture (foraged – see tip)
  • 50g parmesan
    or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
  • 1 garlic clove
    finely chopped
  • ½ lemon
    zested and a few squeezes of juice
  • 50g pine nuts
    toasted
  • 150ml rapeseed oil

Nutrition: per tbsp

  • kcal65
  • fat7g
  • saturates1g
  • carbs0g
  • sugars0g
    low
  • fibre0g
  • protein1g
  • salt0g
    low
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Method

  • step 1

    Rinse and roughly chop the wild garlic leaves.

  • step 2

    Blitz the wild garlic leaves, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and pine nuts to a rough paste in a food processor. Season, and with the motor running slowly, add almost all the oil. Taste, season and add a few squeezes of lemon juice.

  • step 3

    Transfer the pesto to a clean jar and top with the remaining oil. Will keep in the fridge for two weeks.

RECIPE TIPS
USE NETTLES

If you're making this pesto with nettles, bring a large pan of water to the boil, then drop in the nettles and cook for 2 mins. Drain and run under cold water, then squeeze out as much water as possible before roughly chopping them, and adding to the food processor as above. 

BARNEY’S FORAGING RULES

Take a pocket guidebook, and check it before picking anything. Make sure that it's legal to forage in a public area or that you have the landowner’s permission. Use all your senses to identify the plants you're looking for; it may look similar to wild garlic but if it doesn’t smell of garlic – don’t eat it! Never pick leaves next to busy roads or lanes, or low down, where dogs are regularly walked. If foraging for stinging nettles, wear gloves when picking and make sure to cook properly.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2015

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Comments, questions and tips (28)

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Overall rating

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.50 ratings

martyna12345

I have a lot of dried wild garlic? Would this work too?

paul.h.42.uk26946

I made pesto with 3-cornered garlic from my garden many years ago but couldn't remember precisely how. I was happy to find this to use as a guide. I skipped the cheese and also the added clove of garlic. I also used lemon zest but not juice.

paul.h.42.uk26946

Slip of the finger. I also put salt in (approx 2 per cent) as I want to try fermenting some of it, and even if not it helps it to keep. I thought the result was lovely and my wife liked it too. I made several small jars - I have frozen pestos before and am doing with some of this.

mariecturner39300

question

Is it freezable?

banhamhall05354

Yes. I made garlic pesto over a year ago and froze in ice cube trays. I could then throw 1-2 into bolognese, casseroles etc. Yum!

pefielding05440

Too difficult to register, navigate and find recipe without all the junk - disappointing

RoseStar03

I don’t know what you are talking about. The recipe is easy to find and navigate. Much better than all the websites that give you the full history of the recipe before saying how to make it.

jsmarsden

I omitted the extra garlic as well. Used toasted hazelnuts and served over gnocchi with a few dollops of ricotta and some roasted asparagus on top. Delicious!

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