Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Three cornered leek and pesto
Some years back some kind soul, I think it was that Liz Ixer, gave me a few plants called three cornered leek. She said they would spread and she was right about that. I now have a densely packed patch of about two square metres. They look a bit like wild garlic with pretty white flowers.
I am glad report that the leaves and flowers go well in a mixed salad and today my partner Trudy has made a very presentable pesto sauce using these leaves in place of most of the basil. Not exactly a case of dig for Britain but very satisfying nevertheless.
Tags for Forum Posts: cooking, gardening
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Solomon on
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Hi Dick. I'm assuming this is the same plant that has overrun the back garden at my new flat. My flower book calls it three cornered garlic - Allium triquetrum - which is what it smells like. Identifying characteristics include the short, three-cornered stem and the green stripe down the middle of each white petal. I remember seeing it growing wild in London 10 years or more ago but it seems much commoner now, even invasive. Interestingly the same book says that it likes a warm climate so this upward trend could be yet another marker of global warming in the natural world. I've been tearing it out by the handful to try to clear a vegetable patch for myself. If anyone wants some to make pesto, just let me know. I've got piles (literally) of the stuff!
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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That's the stuff alright:
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Told you to keep it in a pot! Mine has escaped but I eat it so it doesn’t get too out of hand. Treat it like ramsons. They flog it in Borough market as a delicacy https://boroughmarket.org.uk/articles/three-cornered-leek
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Thanks very much Liz both for the original introduction and the link to serving ideas. I think we might process some products into the freezer before the leaves get too old. When the plants die down completely in the Autumn, the ground is covered with tiny ball-like onions. Maybe we shall find a use for them too in due course. Have you tried them?
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I haven't no but my son used to snack on them when they were still on the plant when he was smaller.
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Permalink Reply by Chrisandsally on
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I love them too Dick! Using it in pesto with hazelnuts and an english hard cheese with hazelnut oil is delicious! I tried to get rid of it in my garden but now very happy it didn't want to leave completely.
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