Most wild plants are at their best in spring and early summer. After a long winter we really need their high concentrations of vitamin C, minerals and phytonutrients to detox and boost our immune systems.
I made this sauce to accompany fresh mussels which we harvested next to out boat in Denmark. You will find all these plants near you too: weeding the garden, on a camping or sailing trip, even at your local tennis or football club, with one eye on the match!
Ingredients:
6 handfuls of clean, edible wild plants e.g.
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica); cleavers (Galium aparine); chickweed (Stellaria media); ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria); dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis); narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
3 tablespoons of grated lemon rind (or a combination of lemon rind and lemon juice to taste)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter
1 clove of garlic of a handful of wild garlic (Allium ursinum) – leaves and flowers
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Start with the stinging nettles (the stinging hairs are on the underside of the leaves). Using gloves, strip the leaves from the stems, rinse well and chop them finelyl. Now they won’t sting anymore.
Prepare the rest of your wild greens in the same way, no gloves needed!
Warm the olive oil gently and add your wild greens with some salt and pepper. Sauté this (still gently) for about 5 minutes. Add the lemon rind and garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Add lemon juice to taste if necessary and serve.
This sauté is also delicious when stirred through cooked rice to accompany fish; combined with grated Parmesan cheese and toasted pine kernels or almonds as a pesto. Serve it with pasta or as a filling for baked potatoes. Bon apetit!
For more on our sailing trip from North Jutland, Denmark to the Netherlands, see https://www.polarsteps.com/SailingShamrock/6376238-sailing-the-kattegat-sea
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