Stinging Nettles

Photo by David Ambridge

I love stinging nettles. I think of them as untamed spinach ;)
Nettles are bursting with nutrients – loaded with minerals and vitamins. Use the nettles as you would use spinach! Just make sure to get rid of the sting first.

Be careful when picking the nettles! Use rubber gloves, long sleeves and a pair of scissors. The tops and the young leaves are delicious. The older ones tends to have very tough stalks and a bit of a funny taste, so don’t use them.

The easiest way to get rid of the sting is to blanche the nettles for a minute or two in a kettle of boiling water, but they can also be steamed or dried. The seeds can be used as well, also dried; they are very rich in estrogen.

Nettles are great in parathas, dosas/galettes, soups, bread, pesto etc. Dried nettle powder sprinkled over a salad tastes great. Oh, and they are excellent to make tea from as well! Or why not make your own nettle oil by soaking nettle leaves in olive oil for three weeks?

A friend of mine loves making pancakes with blanched nettles, soymilk, eggs, (spelt) flour and a bit of salt. (Thanks, Urda!)

Here is my favourite nettle soup recipe, it serves two:

CREAM OF STINGING NETTLE SOUP

Ingredients
1 litre (4 cups) lightly packed nettles – tops and young leaves
½ red onion – diced
1-2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
A small piece of fresh ginger – finely chopped or grated
A bit of fresh red chili – chopped
5 dl (2 cups) vegetable stock
½ dl cooked rice (or 3 rice cakes)
Ghee, butter or olive oil
Salt
Black pepper, ground
Nutmeg – ground or finely grated
¾ dl (0,33 cup) cream or milk/soymilk, optional
Fennel seeds, optional
1 boiled egg, optional
Freshly squeezed lime juice, optional
Fresh herbs, optional

Method

1. Pick over the nettles and wash them thoroughly in cold water. Discard any tougher stalks.
2. Blanche the nettles for 3-5 minutes in a kettle of boiling water, and then drain them.
3. Melt the ghee/butter in a large pan and sweat the onion, garlic, chili, ginger (and fennel) until soft but not brown.
4. Put the nettles in the pan, stir, and after a couple of minutes add the stock and cover with a lid.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
7. Add the rice and blend right in the pot with an immersion blender (or in a mixer).
8. Add cream/milk and bring to a boil again.
9. Serve the soup hot with half a boiled egg and a dash of lime juice. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Variations

• Add garam masala (instead of fennel and nutmeg).
• Serve with a bit of creme fraiche or thick yoghurt.
• Instead of eggs, add some diced and crispy fried tofu or paneer.
• The rice can be substituted with other thickeners:
  Potatoes – peeled and finely diced, add them at the same time as the stock.
  A paste of flour mixed with twice as much cold stock, milk or water. Add it at the same time as the stock in step 5 above.

Good luck! Enjoy :)

Advertisement