Wild garlic dumplings with brown butter and wild garlic pesto

Stefan Hofer from Bachlerhof has two recipes to share as part of #CookWithUs: Wild garlic dumplings with brown butter and wild garlic pesto.

March and April is the peak season for wild garlic and this ingredient needs to be used quickly, otherwise it loses its aroma as it dries out. Stefan Hofer from Bachlerhof shows us how it can be cooked quickly and preserved.

As it is a prized alternative to garlic, wild garlic has been enjoying a culinary revival in recent years – so it's part of the #CookWithUs series. The spring herb with its garlicky aroma is currently at its peak in our forests. Be careful when foraging – if you aren't sure whether what you have found is wild garlic, rub the leaves between your fingers. If you can smell the aroma of garlic in the air, you can be pretty sure it is wild garlic. So, simply pop it in your basket and try cooking it yourself. Stefan Hofer from Bachlerhof in Kematen an der Ybbs shows us how it is done...

Recipe:

For the wild garlic dumplings: Dice the onion and fry in butter until glossy. It is important that you don't brown the onions, just gently fry them. In the meantime, mix the milk and egg, season with salt and nutmeg, then add some of the wild garlic and blend. Pour the remaining wild garlic, flour, onions and milk-egg mixture over the breadcrumbs. Stir well and put to one side.

While the dumpling mix is resting, you have to time to make a wild garlic pesto. It can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks and quickly prepared. Blend the wild garlic, oil, nuts and grated parmesan, add salt and the pesto is complete. When filling in a jar, make sure you see a level of oil in the glass – this means it has a longer shelf life.

Then use wet hands to shape the dumplings. If you want to, you can fill them. Stefan Hofer likes to use leftover cheese from his fridge. Finally, allow the dumplings to cook in slowly simmering, salted water for 10 minutes. Never put them in cold water, otherwise they will lose their shape. For the brown butter: Melt the butter on a medium heat and leave to foam. Keep stirring on a low heat until it begins to change colour. As soon as the butter turns a caramel colour and has a nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat. The dumplings can then be served with the brown butter and parmesan.

Ingredients:

Wild garlic dumplings:

• 10 bread cubes (made out of dried white breat) 
• approx. 200 g wild garlic
• 6 eggs
• 100 g flour
• approx. 300 ml milk
• 125g butter
• 1 medium onion
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Pesto:

• 200 g wild garlic
• 250 ml olive oil
• 20g grated parmesan
• 20 g walnuts
• 1 tsp salt