Wild garlic flaky flatbreads
Buttery, impossibly flaky and aromatic
Published originally on my blog on 12 March 2018
The first thing I did the other day when I came home with a bunch of wild garlic that I found at the market, was munch on a few of them raw on the spot. I was intent on inhaling that grassy, herby, garlic flavor of these beauties that whispered in my ear that the arrival of spring is not too far away now.
I have never come across wild garlic anywhere before; I’m not the foraging kind and my local market doesn’t carry them, so by pure luck I bumped into them and couldn’t control myself with happiness. What a food geek am I, right?
By the way, on the same day, I decided to buy a hugely expensive bottle of 100% yuzu citrus juice (yuzu is a native Japanese citrus fruit that can only be found in Japan) and was ecstatic about that too, but that’s another post entirely.
Back to wild garlic. Thoughts and ideas were racing through my head about what to do with it, and I began to complicate things, as per usual, but then I thought to myself, hey, snap out of it, this is garlic, it’s garlic!, you know what to do with garlic, its’ the best thing in the world. Make wild garlic pesto, add it straight to salads, make tzatziki (I did! will share soon here it is!), make a wild garlic and miso dressing, make garlic butter and smear it on a nice, juicy piece of steak or toast, serve it with baked salmon (I did that too), oh there’s no limit to what wild garlic can do.
The first thing I did do with it, though, was use it to make these flatbreads, and they were incredible. Blistered and buttery, soooo flaky and deeply aromatic from the wild garlic, and for me, one of the best flatbreads I’ve ever tasted.
They’re thin and crispy yet bendy and a little chewy, thus perfect for souvlaki, buttery but light, with a rich flavor from the olive oil and the herby, grassy flavor of the wild garlic which is usually more mellow than that of regular garlic. The leaves have a soft garlic flavor while the small stalks have a stronger, sharper, garlicky flavor that is reminiscent of spring onion, so essentially the flavor of wild garlic is to me like a cross between regular garlic and spring onion.
They’re the best accompaniment to soups and stews, helping you mop up all the juices from your plate, ideal served with grilled meats or fish, perfect to wrap your chicken or meat skewers around, to serve alongside huge salads and roasted vegetables of any kind, and to dip it into labneh or hummus.
I have to say that they’re quite addictive, you can’t possibly eat just one, so beware; don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Wild garlic flaky flatbreads
I only used the leaves of the wild garlic, not the little stalks because they will tear through the delicate dough when you roll it out, so don’t be tempted to add that part either.
The wild garlic leaves I used were approximately 14 cm long each and I mention that because their size varies.
Wild garlic is also known as ramson or bear garlic.
