VegBox Recipes reader, Carol G, contacted me yesterday, after the May newsletter went out, to let me know that May also brings with it "Be Nice to Nettles Week" (13th – 24th May).
It would have been a crime to miss out an event like this, when nettles can be found and foraged in abundance without costing us a penny. I’ve read that it’s best to pick (with gloves) only the top, new leaves. But I’ve picked and eaten big bunches before and they were scrummy. Just be sure to avoid picking nettles that are growing at the side of the road (who wants to eat exhaust fumes, after all?!).
To read a brilliant summary of the importance of nettles today, check out this article. I was particularly interested, given my recent diagnosis, to read that nettle is recommended for people with arthritis! And here’s some info on how to make nettle leaf plant food.
Now here’s Carol G’s recipe for
Nettle Pesto
Using nettles as a substitute for the more traditional basil gives a slightly sharper flavoured but tasty alternative.
This recipe takes only 10 minutes to produce 250ml of pesto.
Ingredients:
125g nettles, blanched in boiling water for one minute to remove the sting
2 or more large cloves of garlic finely chopped
50g pine nuts
60g grated parmesan (preferably from a block)
1 tbsp lemon juice
80ml extra virgin olive oil (or hemp oil)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:
Drain the blanched nettles well, preferably squeezing out the highly nutritious juice by hand and retaining to make nettle tea or to add to a recipe instead of stock. The squeezed nettles may look a mess but retain their lovely green colour.
Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides down occasionally.
With the motor running, gradually blend in the oil.
The addition of a little extra oil will give a more spreadable mixture.
To store:
Place the pesto in a sterilised jar and pour a little extra olive oil on top and seal with a lid. Keep refrigerated until needed.
It will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.
Freezing:
Nettle pesto freezes well in small tubs or ice cube trays. Throwing a couple of nettle pesto ice cubes into your pasta sauce, stew or soup the next time you’re cooking is a great way to add extra nutrients.
Categories: recipes, seasonal eating
what an innovative sounding recipe, although I would have though having this celebration earlier in the year would be better; when the nettles are tiny and fresh. Ours are up to my thighs already! Dd loves nettle soup; which is a great spring tonic to blast away the cobwebs; pesto is brilliant though. What’s your favourite nettle recipe?
I’ve just discovered nettles and it feels like the discovery of the year! I wrote about them on my blog http://www.mudpiesandminestone.blogspot.com This week end I am doing demos using nettles and making pesto and soup. What a great gift these are to us and such abundance!