It’s wild garlic time again! Try this pesto with an aromatic chicken, fennel and potato stew, then dive into a fudgy banana cake with a tantalisingly crunchy top
I
love Mexican chillies for the subtle flavour they give to cooking. Take the ancho, with its sweet, earthy notes of chocolate and plum. That adds immense depth to dishes traditional and avant garde alike, and is now readily available online and in shops. In today’s one-pot, which is a near-perfect way to cook a whole chicken, the ancho adds character to a classic sofrito, while in the pudding the savoury notes and touch of heat complement the dark caramel, helping to create a banana cake that is anything but bland. If you can’t find ancho, try any other medium-heat chilli flake in its place (nora, aleppo), or simply leave it out. The results will be delicious either way.
Wild garlic tends to be very strong at the start of the season, so I prefer to cut it with parsley; and if you can’t find wild garlic, go all-out parsley with a peeled garlic clove. This pesto is also magic on a jacket spud, pasta or a toasted cheese sandwich, but it really comes into its own when stirred through these sublime chicken juices.
Prep 10 min
