We've been busy exploring the Ashford Estate and foraging for wonderfully fresh ingredients that will appear on our menus when we open once more… Kale At Ashford Castle, we grow three varieties in our wall garden: curly kale, cavolo nero and purple kale. This ingredient is one of our all-time favourite vegetables and for many reasons. From light to dark green colour, it is packed with goodness in both flavour and nutrients, and while its rough bitterness may be an acquired taste, it will give you great pleasure when cooked correctly, from homemade crisps to soup, raw in salads or juices. It is rich in beta carotene, vitamins A, K and C, and is an exceptional source of chlorophyll, while its iron and calcium is easily absorbed. Kale can help to balance hormones, lower cholesterol and contains Omega 3 fatty acid with strong anti-inflammatory properties. Morning Boost: Blend together 100g kale 1 lemon juice 5g fresh ginger 5g fresh turmeric 1 stalk of celery Coconut water Organic pure apple juice 3g chia seed Kale pesto: 400g kale leaves 300g toasted walnuts 30cl olive oil 50g parmesan Wild garlic All around the estate of Ashford Castle, from the start of our spring on St Bridget's Day (1st February), you may start to find some wild garlic leaves. The wild garlic (also known as ramsons) grows in large patches in different parts of the woodland and during the flowering time, you will smell the garlic all around you. In Irish folklore, ramsons was a metaphor for sharpness or bitterness and were considered an important food in early Ireland. It was forbidden to forage it on private land and incurred a heavy fine if you were caught. In Irish medicine, wild garlic was highly valued as a preventive of infection, as well as a cure of colds, coughs and flu. What is fantastic about this plant is that you can eat absolutely everything, from the bulb (cooked) and the sweet stem (slightly cooked like a fine bean) to the leaves as pesto, the flower in your summer salad and the seed pickle like capers. Wild garlic pesto to use with pasta, lamb or wild salmon: 30g almond or pine nuts 30g dry cheese like Parmesan (at Ashford we use a local cheese, also dry and full of flavour) 150ml olive oil or avocado oil 100g wild garlic Blend all together to make a rough paste. Chicken with mozzarella and wild garlic: 2 chicken breasts 1 mozzarella ball Fresh wild garlic Butterfly your breast of chicken and lay slices of mozzarella and wild garlic leaves on top. Roll your chicken breasts to make a kind of sausage and wrap them in tin foil with salt pepper and some olive oil. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. When cooked, open the tin foil and enjoy the amazing flavour coming through the wild garlic and mozzarella. Serve with wild garlic leaves sautéed with green asparagus on the side or mash potatoes tossed with the pesto.
