You can always count on Llewelyn’s for beautiful, seasonal dishes, this wild garlic cavatelli is just that. This one is on the menu for the start of Spring and the arrival of wild garlic season, and head chef Lasse has shared the recipe with us to recreate it at home. You can usually find wild garlic at a good greengrocer or veg supplier (look online if you’re struggling to find some), or you can simply forage for it yourself, which is pretty rewarding. Be sure to follow local guidelines for foraging and make sure you’re confident it’s wild garlic before using it!
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Photography: Safia Shakarchi
Season: Spring
Ingredients
Cavatelli
215g semolina flour plus a little more for dusting
85g water
40g wild garlic
pinch of salt
Wild garlic & hazelnut pesto
1 large handful of wild garlic
50 g toasted hazelnuts
75 g finely diced parmesan or similar hard cheese
100g olive oil
pinch of maldon sea salt
To finish
A few ladles of vegetable stock
A few cubes of butter
1 courgette, thinly sliced and salted to soften
A few handfuls of shelled peas and broad beans
About 20 whole wild garlic leaves
A dash of white wine vinegar
2 tbsp of roasted and slightly crushed hazelnuts
Parmesan or salted ricotta, to serve
Method
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To make the cavatelli, blend the wild garlic and water in a high speed blender. Add the semolina and salt and mix just until a dough is formed, being careful not to overwork the dough too much. Add a little more water if necessary. Now roll the dough out into long thin strips about the width of a finger. Cut with a knife or dough cutter into gnocchi and then, with either the back of a fork or a cavatelli board, push each pasta piece in one motion with your thumb against the fork or board and into a tray dusted with semolina. Toss the cavatelli well with semolina to avoid them sticking together. These will keep, covered in the fridge, for a couple of days.
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To make the pesto, roughly blend the hazelnuts and parmesan together to get a textured paste. You don’t want this to be too smooth. Set aside and now blend the wild garlic with the olive oil until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Add the hazelnuts and cheese back in and pulse until you have a pesto. Add a good pinch of maldon salt. Again this will keep fine in the fridge for a couple of days.
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When you are ready to serve, add one (or more) portions of cavatelli to a pot of boiling and well salted water. This will take around 4 mins to cook. Once they start floating to the surface give them another minute or so and they should be done.
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While the pasta is boiling make the sauce. Add a few ladles of vegetable stock to a hot pan with the butter. When the butter has melted add the peas, broad beans and wild garlic and cook for about a minute before adding the courgette. The pasta should be about done by now so using a slotted spoon add it to the sauce along with the pesto. Keep tossing the pasta round the sauce until the pesto thickens the sauce. Check for seasoning and add a little vinegar. Serve onto a plate, topped with hazelnuts and grated cheese.
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