BBC Good Food - 04.2020

10 bbcgoodfood.com APRIL 2020

Photos MELISSA REYNOLDS JAMES, ABEL AND COLE, TOM MAEKER

ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Shoot director PETER RÜPSCHL

 Food stylist ESTHER CLARK

 Stylist MORAG FARQUHAR

How should I cook it?

The stems can be used anywhere

you might use chives or spring

onions – added to salads, scrambled

eggs, chopped into mashed

potatoes, cooked with spring

greens as a side, used in tarts,

blended into butter to melt

over potatoes or steaks, or

even whizzed into a pesto.

The ediblelowers make

a pretty garnish, and the

bulb-like roots can be

used as you would onion

or garlic, too.

Where can I get it?

Three-cornered leeks can be found

around hedgerows, woodland or

ield edges andlower beds in many

areas around the UK, including in

South West counties like Devon

and Cornwall, and London, East

Yo u m a y a l r e a d y b e f a m i l i a r w i t h
wild garlic, but three-cornered
leek is a similar, milder allium,
that’s also found in the wild
at this time of year

What is it?
Three-cornered leek, also known
as three-cornered garlic or allium
triquetrum, is a plant that, when
lowering (April-May), looks like
a white bluebell. It has a long,
green stem and whitelowers
with green stripes. The ‘three-
cornered’ part of the name
is because the stem has a
triangular cross-section.

What does it taste like?
Like wild garlic, it’s part of the
allium family, however, they are
much milder, tasting like a cross
between chives, spring onions
and baby leeks.

E

inkorn is one of the earliest
forms of wheat eaten by
humankind. Milled into
a flour, it’s rich and nutty in flavour,
with a deep biscuity smell once
baked into bread or cakes.
We’ve seen ancient grains like
einkorn becoming more familiar
on the food scene recently, with
many bakeries incorporating
them into their recipes for added
flavour. Gail’s (gailsbread.co.uk) oer
an einkorn & whey sourdough, and
we tried a delicious einkorn soda
bread at Stoney Street (26grains.
com) in London’s Borough Market,
where pastry chef Henrietta Inman
heads up the kitchen. The restaurant
was recently opened by 26 Grains
founder Alex Hely-Hutchinson,
who uses an exciting variety of
grains at both venues.
Here, we’ve used einkorn flour
to make a simple soda bread. It’s
delicious served freshly baked
with salted butter, or sliced and
served with a bowl of soup or stew.
You’ll find it in larger supermarkets,
health food stores or online.

Einkorn soda bread

SERVES 8  10 PREP10 mins

COOK 45 minsEASYV

250g einkornlour, plus extra

for dusting

250g plainlour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tspine sea salt

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

370ml natural yogurt

1 large egg

1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/

gas 6. Sprinkle a little of the einkorn

flour over a baking sheet, then tip

both flours, bicarbonate of soda,

salt and sugar into a bowl and stir

to combine. Whisk the yogurt and

egg together in a jug.

2 Make a well in the centre of

the dry ingredients and pour in

the wet mixture. Swiftly mix the

ingredients together to create a

slightly sticky dough. Form into

a round, about 8-10cm thick and

put in the middle of the baking

sheet. Dip the handle of a wooden

spoon into some flour, then lightly

press into the top to create a cross.

Lightly dust with a little more

einkorn flour.

3 Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins

or until slightly risen with no grey,

uncooked patches in the cross. Set

aside to cool, then serve with salted

butter, if you like.

PER SERVING(10) 225 kcals•fat 3g•saturates 1g•

carbs 40g• sugars 5g• ibre 3g• protein 8g• salt 1.4g

Have you tried?

Three-cornered leek

Sussex and

the Cheshire

woodlands.

If you’re foraging

it yourself, take care not to pick

similar-looking poisonous, plants

like crocus and daodil. You can

also buy it from online greengrocers

like Abel & Cole, Farm Drop and

Fine Food Specialist.Anna Lawson