Creamy Stinging Nettle Recipes

CREAMY STINGING NETTLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Clean and rinse one pound stinging nettles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add nettles and cook until wilted, about 5-10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• In a large cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the two tablespoons butter and two garlic cloves over medium heat, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Whisk in one tablespoon flour and cook until smooth and bubbly, about one minute.
• Add the nettle and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid. Simmer the nettle, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup milk and two tablespoons sour cream. Stir into the nettles. Add a pinch of nutmeg; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add a swirl of sour cream on top if you wish. Enjoy!

STINGING NETTLE SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons of salt. Drop in the stinging nettles, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until they soften. This will remove most of the sting. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Trim off any tough stems, then chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and stir in the onion. Cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, and chopped nettles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

PASTA WITH CREAMY STINGING NETTLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pick the nettles using gloves.
• Remove the stems and blanche the leaves in boiling salted water for one minute.
• Drain and rough chop.
• Cook the pasta.
• Heat the cream in a large saute pan. Once it simmers add the nettles and reduce the misture by half.
• Drain your pasta and put into a big dish and add the Nettle Cream sauce. Add grated nutmeg, cheese and seasonings. Give it a toss and serve hot.
• Bon Appetit!