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Wednesday 28 March 2012

Sweet Wild Garlic Sauce, Made in D.I.Y Land

Wild Garlic gets stuck with the 'pesto' label in odd shaped jars and sold on farmers market stalls up and down the country, there's nothing wrong with it,, I sell it on the menu because it well,sells.
Bored with the usual, I've looked further East to Thailand, and copied their notes on dipping sauces.
This recipe reverses the chili dominance, ramps up the garlic and sticks sweet and trippy on barbecued and grilled meats or fish.
I've two methods for finishing this one using Raw leaves the other Cooked leaves, the taste testers were split down the middle, I've included both methods as both taste good.

Sweet Wild Garlic and Chili Sauce.
Ingredients.
100 gm Wild garlic  'ramps' leaves, washed and dried.
200gm Sugar
100 ml Water
1 medium red Chili (1/2 tspn chopped)
100 ml Cider Vinegar
1 tspn Cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tspn cornflour

Methods ( A + B )
Put the vinegar and 1/2 the water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, add the sugar, chili, the black peppercorns and a pinch of  salt. Reduce heat and cook,until the chili softens.
Meanwhile mix, the cornflour and remaining water, stir into the hot liquid and cook,for a further 2mins, the sauce should thicken and be clear, pour into bowl leave to go cold.You can place it in the freezer to chill.

To finish the sauce Method A
Chop the garlic leaves very finely,then finish them in a food processor just to cut finely. Nb we don't want to puree it.
Remove and place in a sieve and squeeze off any excess juice with the back of a spoon.
When sugar liquid is cold stir in the chopped garlic leaves and hey presto you have a sauce, do a final taste check for seasoning.

To finish the Sauce Method B
 Blanch the leaves for 1 min in boiling water, then refresh them in ice-cold water, dry well before chopping very finely.
The resulting sauce will be duller in colour the taste less pronounced at first, before coming through.

Make; your decision.
Take a taste test, cook the sugar chili liquid, divide into two bowls.
Use both methods to prepare the garlic. then decide which is best for you.
Put into a jar and keep for up to 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

2 comments:

  1. thanks Sally, the B method keeps good,will be posting on how to grow single clove garlic bulbs soon.

    ReplyDelete