With the garlic mustard season fast approaching, I was able to spot some specimens of this great little plant on the side of a woodland path.
For information on how to identify the plant check here.
I knew that the leaves were great in salads, sandwiches and as a garnish in stews, but I had never played around with the root before. So I was really excited to see that the roots of the ones I found were white, robust and with a wonderful spicy aroma,
As soon as I got home, I washed them thoroughly and gave them a good scrub to get rid of all the soil and decided to turn them into a pesto in order to check out how well they hold against commercial horseradish sauce. For the following recipe you will need:
- 1 cup garlic mustard roots
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 pinch of salt or to taste
- 1 pinch of sugar
- Little bit of water
Place the roots in a blender or a mortar and bash until the fibrous roots have broken and you are left with a fragrant paste. Mix in the vinegar, sugar, salt and water until you achieve the thickness you want.
Enjoy next to red meat or mixed in cauliflower soup!
(Fer)mental Greens 