Three-Cornered Leek & wilted Hogweed Stem with peas -

This Three-Cornered Leek & wilted Hogweed Stem with peas is a super fresh spring recipe, we’re keeping it simple with just two wild ingredients here, this recipe works really well as a side dish to loads of different meals you’re creating.

Or use it as the star of the show by frying a salmon fillet & popping it on top 🙂

Click here for the three-cornered leek identification guide

Click here for the hogweed identification guide

Ingredients for Three-Cornered Leek & wilted Hogweed Stem with peas recipe:

300g frozen peas
50g butter
10 hogweed stems
6 stems three corner leek, finely diced
a handful three cornered leek flowers for garnish
Salt & pepper

Method:

In a pan melt the butter & pop in the hogweed stems, cook on a high temperature for 3-5 minutes until browning a little
Add the peas to the pan and cook until warm, another 3-5 minutes
Turn off the heat and toss throug the diced three-cornered leek stems & season well
Plate or bowl up and garnish with the edible flowers

Three-Cornered Leeks

Physical Characteristics for Three-Cornered Leek

A lovely winter and spring plant that is a fantastic pre cursor for the more well known wild garlic. It can be used in recipes calling for leeks or chives.

Bulb & Leaf

A small bulb growing into long thin waxy leaves which have a triangular shaped vein running down the centre.

Flowers

It has bell like flowers, each flower with 6 white petals that have a green stripe down the middle.

Smell

When crushed this plant has a pleasant oniony smell and a wonderful mild onion flavour.

Common Hogweed

Physical Characteristics of Common Hogweed

Hogweed is a herbaceous perennial or biennial plant that can grow from 50-120cms in height. The main stem rises from a large reddish rhizomatous root, it is striated or ribbed, hollow, and has bristly hairs all over.

Leaves

The leaves can reach a length of 55cms in length, they are very pinnate, hairy, and serrated, they are divided into 3-5 lobed sections, the edges are typically round, unlike giant hogweed which are always extremely pointed.

Flowers

Hogweed has white to pinkish flowers, displayed in large umbels (umbrella looking) up to 25cms, each containing 15-30 individual flowers, these individual flowers contain 5 petals.