Tony(a) Lemos, Blazing Star Herbal School
Shelburne Falls
Every year I look forward to that first bowl of nettle soup: a sure sign that spring is finally here. All around the world nettles (yes, the common stinging nettles) appear in recipes and as seasonal culinary specialties: Fettuccine with Nettle & Ricotta Pesto, Nettle Soup, Nettle-Topped Linguine, Nettle Beer, Sautéed Nettles with Green Garlic & Olive Oil, Nettles Pie (just like Spanakopita).
Nettles (botanical name Urtica dioica) can be found in the wild just about anywhere. They grow in small patches and are identified by the fine stinging hairs that grow on the stem and underside of the leaves. Remember to avoid nettles growing near roadways. They can be contaminated by motor oil and car exhaust.
It is the areal (flat) part of the young plants collected in May or June that we use in the kitchen. Later in the season they become bitter and unpalatable. You might find it easiest to gather them wearing gloves to avoid any unnecessary stings, though the sting itself is a remedy to your achy joints. Avoid touching any part of the nettles until you have a chance to wash them. Fill your sink with cold water and dump them in. Using a pair of tongs, toss them in the water. Once soaked, they can be handled safely. You can store them in your fridge until you are ready to use them.
Nettles can be used with or in place of spinach in all your recipes. Since the nettles do not have the water content of spinach or other similar greens, it might help to put a couple tablespoons of water into the pan after the nettles have started cooking, to hurry the cooking process.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy nettles is cooked lightly in lots of boiling water (salted), drained, tossed in a little butter, salt, and pepper, seasoned with lime or lemon juice or an herbal vinegar and eaten hot.
I also like to add nettle seeds to my oatmeal as it creates good texture, provides flavor and adds minerals.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Simple Nettles Soup
- 1 large onion
- 1 clove garlic
- olive oil
- 1/2 lb. nettles
- 1 chicken/veggie bouillon cube or add your favorite miso
- salt & pepper
- Add seaweed of choice
Sauté veggies, add nettles, make broth (1-1/2 pints water) with bouillon cube, boil for 15 min. and add salt and pepper.
Risotto with Nettles
- 200g arborio or carnaroli rice
- 1 packet Risotto All'Ortica flavoring kit
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 3 cups boiling chicken broth
In a large skillet over low heat, combine rice, flavoring packet, and olive oil. Toast the rice slightly.
Add the wine and cook until it evaporates completely.
Add enough broth to just cover the rice. Cook until the broth is absorbed and add enough additional broth to just cover the rice again. Cook until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is tender.
When rice is cooked, stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoon's of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Serves 2
Potato Nettle Soup
- 2 cups young nettle leaves
- 1 onion
- 6 small potatoes
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 3 cloves garlic or 3 stalks green garlic
(For extra flavor you can add sautéed sorrel leaves, 2 cups, or season with lemon)
Purée onion, garlic, and nettles with 1 cup of water. Cut potatoes into small pieces. Simmer puréed mixture with potatoes and remaining water for 45 minutes or until tender. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes making the soup thick and creamy.
Medicinally, nettles is rich in iron and vitamin C, making it a useful remedy in anemia. The presence of vitamin C ensures that the iron is properly absorbed. The herb has an important effect on the kidney and on fluid and uric acid excretion, so is of benefit in gout and other arthritic conditions.
Nettle is also of benefit in chronic skin conditions such as eczema, helping to cleanse the body of accumulated toxins. An infusion of the dried leaf is effective in helping to control dandruff and hair loss on the scalp. Nettle helps check wound bleeding and to treat menorrhagia; it is also used for hemorrhoids and can be taken internally to treat gastric and intestinal problems. The powdered leaves were traditionally used as a snuff to arrest nosebleeds.
Nettle is known to stimulate milk flow in nursing mothers, and is often used in this way by farmers for their stock. It has been shown experimentally to have both hypoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic properties.
The Blazing Star Herbal School website is www.blazingstarherbalschool.org, (413) 625-6875
Back to the April - May 2004 NOFA/Mass News
This page was last modified on July 27, 2009 at 10:38:19 AM.
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