Nettle pesto is an interesting and seasonally abundant alternative to traditional basil pesto. Nettles have a unique flavor profile that’s earthy, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter and they lend themselves well to a pairing with walnuts. I wouldn’t serve this pesto as a dip at a party or as a main ingredient holding a dish together, but I would and do use this to enhance other recipes, the filling of a ravioli, as part of a stuffing for a roulade, spread on toast with fried mushrooms, really anywhere that you would use pesto but where an earthier flavour would contribute to the overall.
For the love of Nettles…
I have been in love with this plant since the very first time I encountered it and learned about all of its incredible properties. Wandering around the forests and hillsides in the UK and Ireland, I became very familiar with it. It’s obscenely abundant in Spring time, and it literally pops up all around the place, in fact, coming from Australia, I was fascinated by just how much of it there is. It’s no wonder it’s been used for everything from food to weaponry over the years!
Better for you than spinach…
Historically Nettles have been both medicine and food. Nutritionally speaking they are kings of the plant world. Abundantly rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly iron and vitamin C but they also contain good amounts of folate, choline, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, betacarotene & Lutien (an eye-specific antioxidant not easily found) This would have been a savior plant in hard times for many communities.
Uses for days…
Therapeutically nettles have been used the world over for a variety of different ailments as they are well known to have anti-inflammatory and putative effects on the body. Topically it’s used for allergic reactions, bites and stings, and internally it’s used for a variety of ailments such as allergies, arthritis, and urinary tract infections. It still features in many herbal remedies today.
Nettles also have a rich history of uses, in world war 1 captured German soldiers were found to be wearing clothing made of 85% nettle cloth, nettles were eaten by Native Americans and the plant was even mentioned by Shakespeare himself. Nettles were even involved in a ritual called urtication, a process in which the Monks would self-flagellate with the plant in order to bring themselves closer to God.
Grasp the nettles with two hands girl, because if you don’t… someone else will!
FIONA WOOD
Nettles can be consumed as a tea, added to soups or stews, or even eaten raw (blended in a smoothie) as a leafy green. Apart from being a wonderfully useful and nourishing plant, they bring an earthy peppery flavour to any dish that incorporates them. Despite the extra care and attention needed to make the most of them, I can assure you that they are definitely worth it. Grab them nettles, and let’s get cooking!
Also read: Nasturtium pesto zoodles
Ingredients do’s and don’ts:
Making pesto is always a rewarding experience but also because it is so customizable, and I also love this version of it because the earthy flavour lends itself well to a variety of applications. With a few simple tips and tricks, you’ll be making it perfect every time!
- Walnuts: I’m forever on the hunt for good walnuts, and as enthusiastic as I am about fresh and quality ingredients, I’m just not committed enough to shell them myself… ain’t nobody got time for that! So here in WA I use local walnuts from a brand called Omega Nuts – because with a nut with such a high content of unsaturated fats, it’s extremely easy for them to spoil, especially in this warmer climate. And, let’s be honest, spoilt walnuts just don’t cut the mustard or make the good pesto in this case!
- Parmesan: It doesn’t have to be traditional parmesan, any hard-aged cheese will do, I’ve also used pecorino and I can imagine there are a few other substitutes out there that would do just as well.
- Lemon: You can probably get away with pre-made lemon juice for this recipe, but as usual fresh is best. You can also skip this ingredient depending on your intended use of the pesto. For example, I leave it out when I’m using it for ravioli filling because I find it doesn’t contribute to the overall end flavour.
Harvesting the Nettles
I was once told that if you place your fingers in the direction of the tiny stinging filaments and pull upward on the leaves then you won’t be stung… well I managed to do that once and later found it was entirely the wrong plant! What I’m saying here is that very few people will be harvesting one leave at a time anyway, so protect yourself and use proper gardening gloves and wear long sleeves and closed-in shoes! Most people don’t react to a nettle sting, but some do so it’s best not to risk it anyhow.
- Depending on the variety (annual or perennial) you may or may not find it easy to pull the whole plant out. But even if it is the perennial kind and will grow back, it’s better not to ruin the area you are harvesting it from
- Cut it as low down on the stalk as possible to give yourself as many leaves to use as possible. The stem of this plant is well known for its robustness and has been used in the past to make rope and yarn for clothing… so it goes without saying you’ll probably be avoiding this part in the final dish you create.
- Protect your harvest from sunlight and heat. The nettles will wilt if they get too dehydrated or hot so store them in a plastic bag in the fridge until you want to use them for the best quality nettles.
- Check for bugs before you use them, they rarely have them in the wild but they can attract aphids so it’s best to check. Nobody wants bugs in their pesto!
Preparing the nettles…
To prepare nettles, first and foremost, you must wear sturdy gloves to avoid getting stung. The annual variety is far less potent in its sting but either way, it isn’t a pleasant experience being the victim of a nettle sting and also it can produce welts in some people. That said, with the proper equipment and treatment you can pretty much use them as you would any other green, and given that they have a similar nutritional benefit to kale, plus the extra therapeutic benefits, they are definitely worth the effort!
Options for preparation:
Option 1: Rinse the nettles thoroughly with cold water. Next, blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to remove the sting. Drain and pat them dry. From there, you can use them pretty much any way you’d use blanched spinach or silverbeet,
Option 2: Blend them into smoothies, the severing of the stingers with the high-speed cutting action actually also renders the plant sting inert – and actually this is probably one of the most nutritious ways to consume them!
Option 3: Bake them. Ever heard of kale chips? Well, Nettle chips are the new big thing. Easily flavoured, though a little more delicate to bake. But they make a beautifully different and nutritious snack or garnish for the right dish.
Option 4: Finely chop them. Just the action of damaging the leaves is enough to render the stinger inert. I wouldn’t eat them raw after this processing, however, just in case, but it certainly should make them safe to handle for whatever their next intended purpose.
Option 5: Steep them. You don’t need a rolling boil to render the sting inert, a good dash of scolding hot water is enough and nettles make a very health-giving tea with many positive benefits, it takes extremely Earthy on its own then so I like to flavour with fresh mint leaves for a more positive taste experience.
Whatever technique you choose to use, you should be cooking with nettles in no time at all! Impress friends and family with something wonderfully diverse and interesting.
Walnut & Nettle Pesto
Equipment
- 1 kettle
- 1 heatproof bowl
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh nettles (blanched as per instructions)
- 1 cup walnuts (roasted)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp parmesan (grated)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper (cracked)
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Blanching the nettles
- Boil water in the kettle and then pour over the fresh nettles in a heat-proof bowl. Leave for 30 seconds then drain.
For the pesto
- Blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender
- Serve with ricotta as a ravioli or gnocchi filling, add to spiral pasta with lashings of grated hard cheese or add to toast and serve with baked or fried mushrooms.
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Until next time. Keep following, liking, sharing, commenting and cooking, and may your every spoonful be tastier than the last!
