Wild garlic has the same virtues as garlic, and its characteristic smell. It grows abundantly in the humid forests along the Rhine. Alexis Albrecht, starred chef, uses it in different forms in the kitchen and he takes us to pick this wild plant.
Alexis Albrecht is at the helm of the Vieux Couvent in Rhinau, a starred house since 1983 and a Green Michelin star since 2021. He uses and highlights in his dishes regional products, fish, meat, game and he uses in particular more than a hundred plants and flowers that he cultivates in his huge vegetable garden or that he goes to pick in the generous nature along the paths and in the Rhine forests close to his home.
In March the wild garlic season begins for him. A wild plant that grows in humid environments and particularly in the shaded forests of the Alsatian Ried, along the Rhine. Wild garlic is recognizable by its strong garlic smell. In the kitchen, Alexis Albrecht accommodates it in different ways, raw, cooked, mashed, chopped, dried…
How to collect wild garlic
Wild garlic can be harvested from March until May, until the leaves turn yellow. Like all plants, it is good to pick it in the morning, but since it is sheltered from strong sunlight, it can be picked at any time of the day. It is a perennial plant whose colonies invade the woods and undergrowth of the Rhine forests in spring, but it is also found in other regions. The Ried is a favorable environment for this plant, the floods of the Rhine deposit the silt which brings its richness and its freshness to the soil. Just bend down to pick it up, but watch out for toxic plants with which it can be confused: arum, Solomon’s seal, lily of the valley…
At Alexis Albrecht, picking flower buds in April is an opportunity to go out with his team. The challenge is launched, the one who will bring the fewest buds will have a pledge!
From the root to the flowers, everything is good in wild garlic!
In the kitchen, it is a must for Alexis Albrecht. Wild garlic brings a magnificent green, -which stays very green-, and of course taste, to dishes.
Wild garlic is magic” – Alexis Albrecht
First step, wash and sort the wild garlic. Change the washing water until it is completely clean. Adding a little white vinegar will help eliminate any microscopic bacteria that may remain.
The first young leaves of March will be transformed into cooked or raw mash. Puree that will be frozen and used throughout the year. Raw chopped wild garlic will garnish hot dishes and salads. The young leaves, dried with oil and salt, will be used to decorate plates. The flower buds, picked when they are large enough, -rather in April-, are eaten, like gherkins, sweet and sour. The roots can also be processed like buds or grated. And later in the season, the fruits are harvested.
How to use wild garlic
There are many ways to use wild garlic in the kitchen. You can add mashed wild garlic to mashed potatoes, soup, velouté, in chips, in ravioli, gnocchi…, the sweet and sour button accompanies, for example, beautifully smoked salmon to replace capers, the fruit can be eaten in tempura. It’s up to you to be inventive like our chef! Apart from the traditional wild garlic pesto, with olive oil, parmesan and pine nuts, there are many different ways to prepare and use this wild plant.
Alexis Albrecht’s green risotto: a recipe with three different ways to use wild garlic
Our chef offers you a very easy recipe. A classic risotto in which we will add a spoonful of raw wild garlic puree, two spoonfuls of cooked wild garlic puree, a little fresh chopped wild garlic and a leaf of dried wild garlic. oil and salt for decoration. A delight!
Ingredients :
- risotto rice
- wild garlic
- White wine
- chicken broth
- parmesan cheese
- butter
- salt, olive oil, onion
The preparation :
- Prepare the salted chicken broth and the different forms of wild garlic in advance: cooked and raw mashed potatoes, leaves dried in oil. (see video “It’s so good, wild garlic”)
- Prepare a classic risotto: sweat the onions in a little olive oil, pearl the rice, deglaze with a little white wine and start adding the chicken broth little by little.
- Add the grated parmesan.
- Add a little raw wild garlic puree, for taste and a lot of cooked wild garlic puree, for color.
- Off the heat, add the butter and emulsify the rice and the butter to keep the tenderness and the taste of the butter.
- Arrange on a plate, add a few filaments of chopped fresh wild garlic and finish with a leaf of dried wild garlic.
Enjoy your lunch !