Wild Garlic Mustard Tartlets
For a brief few weeks in my teen years I worked for a catering company, and formed a very strong association between fancy parties and spanakopita. It’s very possible I need to go to fancier parties, but even so these spinach filled phyllo dough bundles are a signal to me that something is a big to do. In contrast, garlic mustard is an invasive weed found along the sides of the road, in fields, and are the bane of many a gardeners existence. When I decided to do a recipe with these pesky plants, it seemed only natural to combine them with phyllo dough and make the foragers version of a spanakopita- vegan, wild garlic mustard tartlets. The garlic mustard serves as both garlic and spinach in this recipe. It is bulked up with mushroom and pecan, and they’re a real treat. Perfect for your next wedding or cotillion.
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How to Identify Garlic Mustard
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
Garlic mustard is native to Europe and parts of Asia, but it has made itself at home here in America as well (often crowding out native species). Ever since I started eating garlic mustard, I see it everywhere. Maybe even literally- I can’t go on a walk around the block without bumping into a few plants. Identifying garlic mustard isn’t too hard, but it can become confusing by the fact that this plant has a two year life-cycle, and the first and second years look fairly different (although both are edible). The first-year plant comes in rosettes of kidney-shaped, scalloped leaves that have a distinct smell of garlic when crushed. For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to primarily focus on the second-year plants. The second-year plants grow to about 2-3 feet tall, and bloom in the spring with small, white blossoms with four petals each. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, and are sharper, and more spiky than the first year growth. As always, when foraging use caution and consult with an expert before eating an unknown plant. It is always better to error on the side of caution with your identification- remember, when in doubt, leave it out.
The stems and seed and flowers are all edible. The leaves themselves can be a bit bitter, but will be more tender earlier in the season. If you don’t find the leaves to be bitter, feel free to use them raw. I also used the flowers in this recipe. I did not use the roots, but they too are edible. They have a somewhat mild horseradish flavor, and are worth saving for another project if you’re willing to do the work of scrubbing them clean.
Looking for Garlic Mustard Recipes? Try one of these!
- Garlic Mustard Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Garlic Mustard and Tofu Patties
- Garlic Mustard and Spinach Saag
- Garlic Mustard Recipe: Laminated Wild Ravioli
- Spring Garlic Mustard Ramen Noodles
- Spring Garlic Mustard & Dandelion Green Vegan Frittatas
Looking for Vegan Party Bites? Try one of these!
- Mushroom Spinach Star Vegan Dumplings
- Ginger Walnut Lettuce Cups with Persimmons
- Vegan Savory Banana Fritters
- Crunchy Sesame Crusted Delicata Squash
- Vegan Foraged Stuffed Grape Leaf Recipe
- Vegan BLT Bites- Vegan Party-Friendly Snack
- Roasted Mini Eggplants in Tahini Sauce
- Buffalo Jackfruit Vegan Air Fryer Spring Rolls
- Cucumber and Jicama Vegan Tea Sandwiches
- Vegan Black Trumpet Arancini (Air Fried)
- Kabocha Squash Vegan Tempura Sushi Roll
- Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms
- Fennel and Apple Salad in Belgian Endive Cups
How to Make Garlic Mustard Tartlets
This recipe has two main components, the filling and the phyllo dough shell. To make the filling, place mushrooms and onions in a food processor and pulse. Add the pecans, and then the garlic mustard and nutritional yeast, pulsing each time so your filling is well-minced. Transfer that to a skillet and sauté to release the excess moisture from the garlic mustard and mushrooms and set it aside.
Start with frozen phyllo dough. Rolling the phyllo dough is fairly easy, but sort of difficult to describe. Firstly, allow the dough to defrost well ahead of time- I often skip this step, and end up breaking the delicate, tissue-thin sheets. In fact, rewriting this post now over five years since I originally wrote it, I still have the tendency to not leave enough time for defrosting. Do what I say, not what I do. Brush a sheet with olive oil and place a second sheet on top of it. Next use a pizza wheel (or just a knife) to slice it twice down the length, giving you three even long strips. Add a heaping tablespoon of the garlic mustard filling at the end of each strip. Gently brush a little more oil down the length of the dough, and begin folding at the end with the filling, and bring one corner in to the side to create a right angle. Next fold again, on the side touching the strip of dough. Continue folding down the sides of the right triangle, until it is eventually completely closed. Place the finished tartlet on a baking sheet, and continue with the other two. Repeat the process until all of the filling is used- mine made a total of 15 adorable little garlic mustard tartlets.
Wild Garlic Mustard Tartlets
Ingredients
- 4 loosely packed cups of garlic mustard leaves and flowers
- 4 oz cremini (or similar) mushrooms
- ½ medium-sized onion
- 1 cup of pecans (or walnuts)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- Approximately 10 sheets of phyllo dough (defrosted)
- Olive oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place the mushrooms and onions in the food processor and pulse around 10 times. Add the pecans and pulse a few more times. Add the garlic mustard, nutritional yeast, and salt and pulse until it is all combined and chopped quite small. Heat a skillet on the stove, and transfer the filling to the skillet. Sauté for a couple minutes to release the liquid from the mushrooms and garlic mustard, and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Layout a sheet of phyllo dough, brush gently with oil and place a second sheet on top. Slice into three even strips the long way. In the corner scoop 1-2 tbsp. worth of the garlic mustard filling. Brush down the length of the dough with more olive oil, and fold over into a right triangle. Continue folding over the edge until you’ve reached the end and place the folded triangle on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Repeat this process until you’ve used all the garlic mustard filling. Brush the tops of the tartlets with olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, until they are golden and crispy.
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I wanted to thank you for this website too, I am vegan and have been looking for something like this for a while. A website with vegan recipes using foraged wild edibles. I am going to get groceries tomorrow and am going to get the things needed to make this, this seems like a possible freezer-friendly recipe. There are other wild edibles near me, black raspberries, dewberries, crap apples, or potentially just wild apples, cattails (though have yet to see ones not near a road, and my foraging book recommends not to eat things on roadsides) and who knows what else (I am in the midwest US). Though some of those things I listed looks like I will have to wait for them to fruit sometime in Summer or even Fall.
Thanks so much for the kind comment! I love to get to talk to other vegans who are learning about the wild and edible plants in their areas. I also have had some trouble finding cattails in areas that aren’t by roads or sprayed with pesticides (in my area this is done to try and control mosquito populations). But there are plenty of other plants and mushrooms to try throughout the Spring, Summer, and even a few in Winter. Thanks again for the comment!