Nettle Recipes

Stinging Nettle Soup (Vegan)

A recipe from Good Earth Organic Farm

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Ingredients

  • Two bags of nettles (top stems and all)

  • 1 teaspoon rapeseed oil

  • 1 large onion, sliced

  • 2-4 cloves of garlic, sliced

  • 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 2 carrots, chopped,

  • 4 1/4 cups vegetable stock

  • 1/2 can coconut milk

  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Directions

    1. In a slow cooker or large stock pot, heat the oil on medium heat and add the onions. Cook them slowly for 5 -7 minutes until they’re softened.

    2. Add the garlic, potatoes, and carrot and stir the soup. Let it simmer for a couple more minutes before adding the vegetable stock.

    3. Once the stock is added, heat this until it’s simmering and add the nettles into the pot.

    4. The nettles will be overflowing out of your pan, but as they cook they will start to reduce and you will be able to mix them into the stock. Simmer them mixture gently for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

    5. Blend ¾ of the soup with either and immersion blender or in a blender or food processor until it’s smooth.

    6. Season it with salt and pepper to taste

    7. Serve the soup with a swirl of coconut milk on the top.

Sautéed Nettles & Shiitakes

A recipe from Good Earth Organic Farm

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 fair-sized finely sliced onion
• 5 cups stinging or wood nettle leaves or tops, chopped
• 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

 

 

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium flame.

2. Add shiitakes, cook, uncovered, stirring until mushrooms release and then reabsorb moisture.

3. Add onions, cook for about 5 minutes until translucent.

4. Add nettles and tamari, cover, cook until tender, about 4 minutes.

5. Add garlic, stir uncovered over flame for about 2 minutes. Enjoy.

Spring Raab with Nettle Pesto

A recipe from Turnip the Beet Farm

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Ingredients

• 1/2# Kale Raab

• 1/2# cups raw stinging nettles

• 3 medium garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted- reserving 1 T for garnish

• 1/4 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp Kosher salt

• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper ( white or black)

• ¼ C Parmesan cheese, finely grated -reserving 1 T for garnish

• 1 T lemon zest -for garnish

 

 

Directions

Pesto:

  1. Bring generously salted water to boil in a pot big enough to hold nettles and stems. Once boiling, using tongs, place the nettles in the pot (stems ok). Blanch in rapidly boiling water for 1 ½ minutes.
  2. Using tongs, remove from water and place in ice water bath, to chill rapidly. Separate leaves from bigger stems, placing all leaves and some of the smaller stems on a clean kitchen towel. Wring dry.
  3. You should have just about 1 C of nettles. Place them in a food processor with the pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, cheese, salt, pepper  and oil. Pulse until until uniform, but not too smooth. Scrape down sides to make sure all is combined.

Raab:

  1. Prepare Raab in generously salted water. Sometimes I’ll just use the nettle water over again (whatever you prefer).
  2. Once Raab is cooked to al dente, remove with tongs and immediately toss with the pesto.
  3. Garnish with lemon zest (important), pine nuts, and grated Parmesan, serve immediately.

Nettle Soup

A recipe from Turnip the Beet Farm

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound stinging nettles

• 1 onion

• 2 Tablespoons butter (divided)

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (plus more to taste)

• 1 pound potatoes

• 6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)*

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Optional: 1/2 cup heavy cream

 

 

Directions

  1. Wear gloves if you’re going to handle the nettles, they will sting you when raw but not after you wilt/cook them.
  2. Peel and chop the onion. Everything will get puréed later, so don’t worry too much about how it looks.
  3. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes.
  4. While the onions cook, peel the potatoes and chop them up.
  5. Add the potatoes and the broth to the onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until the potatoes are mostly tender, about 15 minutes.
  6. Add the nettles and cook until they’re very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, plus the pepper and nutmeg.
  7. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor in batches. For a silken, less fibrous texture, run mixture through a food mill or sieve.
  8. Stir in the cream, if you’re using it. Season the soup to taste with additional salt and pepper, if you like.
  9. Serve the soup hot, garnished with sour cream, yogurt, or horseradish Cream, if you like.