It's end of April & I have just found my first patch of stinging nettles. Bear in mind I live 1550m above sea level deep in the French Alps so I usually get things a little late here or not at all 😢
Any way i'm going to show you how to get your revenge on these stinging pieces of ... lovely green edibles by making a few recipes showcasing the Stinging Nettle.
Starting of with our first recipe a lovely stinging nettle pesto.
Pesto is a great way to use up lots of those stinging nettles & adds a lovely sweet earthy flavour to your dishes.
Even better they are super easy to prepare all you really need & it's essential is a thick pair of gloves.
For the Pesto:
100g freshly picked stinging nettles (Make sure your gloves are on!)
1tbs sea salt
30g walnuts
50 to 80g extra vergin olive oil
10g freshley grated Parmesan
1 clove of garlic
Ok here we go! Wash your nettles in cold water & carefully strain them by doing this it gets rid of any dirt or other bits we don't want in the pesto.
Then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil & blanch the nettles for 1 minute. After a minute of boiling strain & refresh the nettles in iced cold water just like you would spinach or herbs. Squeeze the nettles so they are as dry as possible. Place the cooked nettles & the rest of the ingredients together & blend in a blender or hand blender.
If you like your pesto more runny or more thick add more or less of the oil. Season to taste & enjoy on all the things you would usually use pesto with.
