Wild Greens Pasta Primavera is a modern British recipe for a classic dish of steamed wild greens in a milk-based sauce with cheese that's used to top boiled pasta. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Wild Greens Pasta Primavera.
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For the wild forager, January can be a fairly dismal month with relatively poor pickings. Yet, this is the time when some of our early spring flowers begin to burst into life. This recipe marries lesser celandine and primrose leaves in a cheese sauce topping for pasta. One note of caution, however, primrose leaves can cause an allergic reaction in some people and should be approached cautiously. The leaves of lesser celandine contain some toxins, but these are destroyed by cooking. It is also said that lesser celandine greens should only be picked before it is in flower as, when it is in and after flowering is when the toxins accumulate in the plant.
Ingredients:
250g pasta (I suggest acorn flour noodles or acorn flour tagliatelle
120g lesser celandine leaves, washed and dried
120g primrose leaves, washed and dried
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml milk
200g freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
sprigs of basil, to garnish (optional)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
Wash and dry the wild greens, steam for 2 minutes, or until tender then drain and chop. Melt the butter in a pan, add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes then scatter the flour over the top and mix in to form a smooth roux. Whisk in the milk until the sauce is smooth, bring to simmer and add the cooked wild greens and 150g of the cheese. Cook gently until the sauce has thickened then season to taste.
In the meantime, bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for about 4 minutes, or until heated through. Drain the pasta, divide between four serving plates, spoon the cheese sauce over the top then garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese and a sprig of basil.
