4 February 2022

Fashion.at recipe tip for a seasonal side dish with wild garlic: Bear leek dip for baked aubergines with pommes frites

It's wild garlic season in Vienna and dishes made with the plant are currently culinary highlights in restaurants and private kitchens. The plant belongs to the same family as chives or garlic and tastes similar. Wild garlic grows for example on the relatively untouched old ground of the Vienna Prater forest where parts of Europe's primeval forests still can be found. In German language, the plant is named commonly 'Bärlauch', a combination of bear and leek; the same word combination as in English for wild garlic. Bear leek refers to the preferences of bears to eat the plant for getting new power after winter sleep. Wild garlic is rich in vitamin c and contains the minerals potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. It's said that the green plant benefits the heart as it lowers high blood pressure.

When collecting it from the forest floor it shouldn't be confused with the dangerously poisonous Lilly of the Valley which looks very similar only that the rubbed leaves don't have the typical garlic taste. (Find more information about the poisonous look-alikes at the website of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety on ages.at/en/human/nutrition-food/food-information/wild-garlic.) The safer source is the supermarket where it can be found packed in 'handful'-size. Handful is also the keyword when it comes to the allowed amount for picking the wild garlic in the forest.

Wild garlic soups or spaghetti with wild garlic pesto are probably the most popular meals. Another one is the bear leek dip which can be combined with various dishes. On view on this page with baked aubergine slices and pommes frites. Recipes for bear leek dips vary online - especially concerning the fat amount. One essential tip is often not mentioned but applies to the bear leek dips in general: Let it rest in the fridge for about two hours so that the taste can develop.

Ingredients for 4 portions.

The Fashion.at bear leek dip on view on this page is made of

• 1 handful bear leek (chopped)
• 1 small garlic (pressed)
• 1 tablespoon walnuts (grounded)
• 125 gr quark (lowfat)
• 250 gr yogurt (lowfat)
• Salt
• Pepper

The baked aubergine slices were made of 2 aubergines, which were sliced and salted on both sides two hours before they were baked in hot oil. They were wrapped in a dough made from 3 stirred eggs, small amounts of milk and flour, salt and pepper.