Pancetta with wild garlic

Spring

Here’s a nice way to make a song and dance of wild garlic. And why not? It’s around for only a short spell and is so versatile. I use the vibrant, green leaves to perk up this wonderful, quick-to-make cheese, and also scatter a few smaller leaves around the plate. I’ve pickled the young buds in cider vinegar, which preserves them, so you could enjoy an element of this magical plant all year round. I’ve also scattered over some snow-white flowers. They have a delicate, garlicky flavour and make such a pretty addition to all sorts of dishes.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

450g (1lb) natural sheep’s or cow’s yogurt
1 teaspoon sea salt
A small handful of wild garlic leaves
8–10 slices of really good-quality pancetta
A handful of wild garlic flowers, if you can find them
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Good country bread, to serve

For the Pickled Wild Garlic Buds

A large handful of wild garlic buds (at least 30–40)
2 teaspoons sea salt
200ml (7fl oz) apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Method

You need to make a strained yogurt 6–8 hours before you want to eat the dish, but you can even start it several days in advance. Place the yogurt in a bowl, add the salt and stir it in. Line a large sieve (strainer) with muslin or cheesecloth. Spoon the salted yogurt into the cloth, then gather up the sides and tie at the top. I like to suspend the yogurt over a bowl to drain, but you can leave it sitting in its sieve over a bowl. Transfer to the fridge and leave for 6–8 hours, or longer. When a significant amount of liquid has drained into the bowl and the yogurt has the texture of thick crème fraîche, transfer it to a clean bowl. Finely chop half the wild garlic leaves and add these to the strained yogurt along with a good twist of black pepper.

Make the pickled wild garlic buds. Place the buds in a bowl and scatter over the sea salt. Leave them in the salt for 30 minutes or so, then rinse them well in cold water. Combine the vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a bowl and whisk them together to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Pack the buds into a jar and pour over the pickling vinegar. Make sure the garlic buds are submerged before you place a lid on the jar and pop it in the fridge until needed.

To serve, spread the strained yogurt out over a large plate or platter. Arrange the pancetta slices over the top along with the remaining garlic leaves. Scatter over some of the pickled buds and a little shake of delicate flowers.

Finish with some flaky sea salt and black pepper and a trickle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with good crusty fresh bread.

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