ѕєα's posts with tag: pasta
There is so much information out there about using nettle, that Ive just kept a few links here for you to read when you have time. I like to use a nettle tincture on occasion. Many people used to take a spring tonic of it yrs ago and theres a reason, its just loaded with vitamins and minerals and tons of good things for good health. Others have herbal blogs for you too......
Diana has one on Passion Vine http://dianahopeless.multiply.com/journal/item/12?mark_read=dianahopeless:journal:12&replies_read=6
kathyinozarks has one about Warming herbs http://kathyinozarks.multiply.com/journal/item/723?mark_read=kathyinozarks:journal:723&replies_read=3
LadyDrago has one on Thyme http://ladydrago.multiply.com/journal/item/96?mark_read=ladydrago:journal:96
Magicmomma has one for Pasta and Veggie Pesto http://magicmomma.multiply.com/journal/item/175/HERB_THURSDAY--Pasta_and_Veggie_Pesto_Recipe
Starfishred has one on Parsley http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/137
akunacumara has one on Green Tea http://akunakumara.multiply.com/journal/item/60
http://www.rain-tree.com/nettles.htm
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/stinging-nettle-000275.htm
http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?noframes;read=190586
Nettle leaf tea is a classic spring tonic. It stimulates the kidneys, cures diarrhea, stops internal bleeding, cleans the blood, and is an important source of iron, calcium, and vitamin C making it valuable in anemia.Nettle tea has been used to treat asthma,wheezing, and shortness of breath.The tea is also diuretic and has been used for cystitis and high blood pressure. To make the tea steep two teaspoons of nettle leaves in a cup of boiled water for about ten minutes. The dose is 1/4 cup four times a day, not with meals.
The decoction of the root is useful for diarrhea and dysentery and can also be used as a scalp wash to stimulate hair growth. It is used as an external wash for old wounds, itching conditions and for gangrene. To prepare the root, chop it and simmer about two teaspoons per cup of water for twenty minutes in a non aluminum pot with a tight fitting lid. Take about 1/4 four times a day.
The fresh juice of nettles can be taken to improve digestion and to increase milk flow in nursing mothers.The dose is one teaspoon in a glass of water, three times a day. It can also be rubbed into the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
Nettles can be added to soups and quiches, the older plants must be cooked thoroughly but the young plants gathered in spring can be eaten fresh in salads. Add nettles to winter time teas to increase circulation and to warm the body.
Recent studies have shown that nettles are an effective antihistamine when taken for seasonal allergies and that they are also anti-inflammatory for arthritis.
Note on Nettles: These are a great and healthful green to eat, but they are only eaten cooked. Take care when handling, they will sting while raw. It takes very little cooking to shed the stinging.
Tips for handling nettles:
* Don't touch fresh nettles with your bare hands. Use tongs or a large fork to move them.
* Cook nettles until 'soggy' or completely wilted before eating. A quick sauté is not sufficient to de-activate the sting. If making nettle tea, be sure to strain nettles out and don't eat the leaves unless they've been thoroughly cooked.
* If picking wild nettles for eating, harvest only the top four inches of the plant.
* You may want to remove thick stems from nettle tops before cooking.
* Nettles combine well with less 'green' tasting greens such as chard, spinach, kale, collards in such dishes as spanakopita, baked pastas, quiche, omelettes, & frittatas
* Sorrel and nettles combine nicely for a lemony-green flavor
MINERAL-RICH VINEGAR INFUSION
Fill a quart jar loosely with baby Nettle tops, leaving an inch of headroom in the jar. (You can also add leaves and flowers of Dandelion and Red Clover.) Pour in organic cider vinegar to the top. Cover, label, and date. Store at room temperature for six weeks. Strain through cheesecloth or a sieve into a salad cruet or other storage bottle. Use freely in salad dressings and marinates. For a nutritious drink add a teaspoonful to a glass of apple cider or plan water, and honey to taste if you wish.
Spring Tonic Nettle Soup
* 3 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
* 2 leeks, cut into rounds
* 1/2 pound wild nettle tops (for handling tips, see Stinging Nettles 101)
* 1 quart filtered water
* 1 bouquet garni (little bundle of herbs tied with a string) containing any or all of these: a bay leaf, sprigs of thyme, parsley stems, and sage leaves
* 2 egg yolks
* 1/2 cup crème fraiche, sweet cream, or half and half, or to taste
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Nutmeg to taste
1. Sauté leeks in butter or olive oil. Add water and bring to a boil.
2. Add nettles (being careful not to touch them with your bare hands!), bay leaf and water.
3. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the nettles are very soft.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the cream, crème fraiche or half and half.
5. Remove the bouquet garni from the soup, turn the heat to low, and puree using an immersion blender, adding a generous pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.
6. Take a ladleful of soup and stir it into the egg mixture.
7. Return the egg-nettle mixture to the soup and stir gently over very low heat (do not let it boil again)
8. Grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup, taste and add more salt as necessary to make it savory and delicious. To serve top with a dollop of crème fraiche and a little fresh ground pepper and nutmeg on top.
Cornish nettle soup:
This really is a delicious soup. It is obviously very inexpensive and was always prepared as a spring tonic. Nettles are high in vitamin C and iron.
2lb young nettle tips
2lb spinach
1 1/2 pints chicken stock or vegetable stock
cold milk
4 cold cooked sausages
3 tablespoons soured cream
3 tablespoons flour
seasoning
Method
- Use gloves to gather young nettles.
- Wash the nettles and blanch with boiling water.
- Wash the spinach and add to the nettles.
- Pour the hot stock over the nettles and spinach in a saucepan.
- Season and simmer for three quarters of an hour, adding more stock if needed.
- Leave soup to cool and blend in blender.
- Mix the flour to a smooth paste with some cold milk.
- Add this to the soup and bring back to the boil, stirring all the time.
- Chop the sausages into small rounds and add to the soup.
- Swirl in the sour cream just before serving.
Energizing Spring Tonic Tea
Work with nature's cycles, uplift your spirits, wake up your energy, and detoxify your liver with this great spring tonic.
1 part dried damiana leaves
1 part dried St. John's Wort flowers
1 part dried mugwort leaves
1 part dried nettle seed
1 part dried rosemary leaves
1. Use about 1 cup of dry ingredients per quart of boiling water. Place herbs in a pot or jar, cover with the boiling water and allow to steep for 20 minutes or longer.
2. Drink 2 to 3 cups per day, a few days a week.
Nettle Frittata Yield: 6 portions
½ lb. Cleaned Nettle Tops
4 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, Chopped
6 lg Eggs
¼ C Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Preheat oven to 300º Cook 1/3rd of the nettles in one tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Cook until tender adding a small amount of water if needed. Repeat this 2 more times adding the garlic on the third batch. Place all of the cooked nettles on a cutting board and chop finely. Place the nettles in a bowl of a food processor with the eggs, salt, pepper and process until the nettles are incorporated into the eggs. Add the cream and process for 10 seconds. Heat the non-stick pan on medium with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the nettle mixture and with a rubber spatula move the eggs around to get the entire mixture warm. Place into the oven and cook for about 12 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes then turn the frittata out onto a plate and cut.
Nettle Tisane
Nettle tea is pleasantly herbacious without tasting like you are steeping a suburban lawn. I find the ‘afternotes' especially pleasant and mellow. Nettle tea is reported to be a great blood and liver tonic. A nice thing about this recipe: you can use the whole leaf and stem, no need to remove the leaves from the stems. I use a little tea strainer when pouring the final tisane into cups.
1 pyrex measuring cup
boiling water
nettles to loosely fill 1/3 to 1/2 of the measuring cup
1. Soak the nettles in cool/cold water for a few minutes.
2. Boil the water
3. Rinse nettles, using tongs or dishwashing gloves to not sting your hands.
4 Place cleaned nettles in measuring cup or teapot or glass bowl, pour water over to fill cup, and steep the ‘tisane' (a tea made with fresh herb) for 5 or so minutes.
Sauteed Nettles with Green Garlic & Olive Oil serves 6
1 ¼ lb. Nettles, Cleaned
3T Green Garlic (Chopped)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper (To Taste)
First preheat a large sauté pan on medium high heat, (one large enough to accommodate the nettles, you can even use a large pot as well). Second pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into the preheated pan. Then put all of the green garlic into the pan sauté briefly for about 30 seconds, just enough time for the green garlic to release its essential oils, being sure not to brown or burn the green garlic. Place the nettles into the pan and give it a good stir, let sit for just a second and then continue the stirring process. Once the nettles are completely wilted place them on a plate, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and place a couple of lemon wedges for garnish.
Note: The nettles do not have the water content like spinach or other similar greens. So it might help to put a couple Tablespoons of water into the pan after the nettles have started cooking, just to hurry the cooking process. Myself I do not put the water, because I like the texture of the nettles when you sauté them. It is like little crispy nettle leaves and it also brings about a certain nuttiness.
Fettuccine with Nettle & Ricotta Pesto serves 8
1lb. Fettuccine (Preferably Fresh)
1/2 pound Nettles
6 oz. Ricotta
5 oz. Pine Nuts
1/4 cup Pecorino
2 T Parmesan
3 T Green Garlic (Chopped)
1 ¼ cup Olive Oil
8 T Sea Salt
6T Butter
First you blanch the nettles in salted water. Bring 1 gal. of water and 4 T of sea salt to a boil. Then place the nettles into the boiling water, just blanching them for about 1 minute. Take them from the water and place them into a strainer so that the excess water can drain away and so they can cool down to room temperature. Then rough chop the nettles and squeeze them dry as best you can. Place the nettles into a blender or food processor; add your oil, 4 ounces of pine nuts(saving the rest as a garnish) and the Green Garlic. Blend until all ingredients are combined about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place the combined ingredients into a bowl, add your pecorino, parmesan and ricotta. Finish the pesto by folding in the three cheeses just until it looks like everything has come together.
In a separate pot bring 2 qt. Water and 4 T sea salt to a boil to cook the pasta (you should be able to taste the salt in the water, if not add more). In a separate large sauce pan or large sauté pan place about just less then half of the pesto mixture, 6 T butter and about a ¼ cup of the pasta water, heat all ingredients just till hot but not boiling or popping. In the pot cook the pasta for approximately 2-4 minutes pull the pasta from the water and toss with the warmed pesto sauce, cook on medium heat for just about 2-3 minutes so that the sauce has time to infuse into the pasta.
Potato Nettle Soup
2 cups Nettle Leaves (young shoots)
1 Onion
6 small Potatoes
8 cups Water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. Parsley
3 cloves Garlic OR 3 stalks green garlic
Puree onion, garlic, and nettles with 1 cup of water. Cut potatoes into small pieces. Simmer pureed mixture with potatoes and remaining water for 45 minutes or until tender. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes making the soup thick and creamy.
Nettle Cornbread
Quick breads are a delicious way to bring wild greens into the diet. The oregano and onion complement the nettle resulting in a savory, nutritious bread for a light meal.
Start with ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 10” cast iron skillet with oil of choice and set in oven to heat.
Mix together:
-¾ cup all-purpose flour (can be any part whole wheat)
-2-½ teaspoons baking powder
-1/3-cup sweetener…sugar of choice, (we like maple syrup which is included in the wet ingredients below)
-½ teaspoon salt
-½ cup dried nettle leaf
Add:
-1 ¼ cups cornmeal (part coarse adds texture)
Beat in separate bowl:
-1 egg
-2-3 tablespoons melted butter, olive oil or pan drippings
-1-cup fresh goat milk (any milk will do)
-2 tablespoons shallot or red onion
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh Greek oregano
Add wet ingredients to dry and combine with rapid strokes. Pour batter into the pre-heated skillet. Bake ½ hour or until done. The skillet gives the bread a crusty finish on the edges.
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