Here is a simple and delicious recipe made from edible wild leaves. A quick trip to the back garden with the scissors should give you most of the ingredients for this delicious, savoury tart!
Ingredients
100g mixture of leaves from edible wild plants. Here are a few suggestions:
Silverweed, Dandelion, Plantain, Hogweed, Alexander, Fennel, Oregano, Rocket, Chives or Wild garlic (if available)
1 chopped onion (unless there is wild garlic)
200g Feta cheese (standard packet from supermarket)
1 sheet of pastry - puff is best. I buy the pre-made pastry when I'm lazy And mostly, I'm too lazy to make pastry...:-)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
Chop one onion finely (or your wild garlic)
Turn on oven to 180C and allow to come to full heat
Harvest and wash the wild plant leaves
Method
Blanch wild leaves in boiling water. If they are a little older and a bit stringy, leave to simmer for 5mins.
Remove the leaves from the water by straining. Then squeeze the leaves to remove excess water.
Place on chopping board and chop as finely as you wish. Or as above, choose the smallest, most tender leaves and use intact for decoration.
Prepare pan at medium heat for stir fry with onions - I usually fry in olive oil but use oil of choice or even butter if you're feeling decadent!
Add chopped, blanched leaves to pan and stir fry on medium heat for 3-4 mins.
Add feta to mixing bowl and whisk with fork until fluffy. I sometimes add either a few splashes of milk/cream or if available some cream cheese to make the consistency a little lighter.
Roll pastry sheet on to grease proof paper and lay on baking sheet
Spread the whipped feta evenly on the pastry sheet.
Add the cooked wild plants and spread evenly on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20mins.
And Voilá! Cut, eat, share with friends and family.