I always encourage folks to create simple, tapas style dishes when creating wild food recipes. Here’s a Stinging Nettle recipe I came up with the other day that worked a treat.
Ingredients
- 200g blanched nettles
- 50g chorizo (cut into chunks)
- 2tbsp light olive oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
- Chicken stock
- White wine
- Chilli flakes
- Crushed black pepper
Suggested Instructions
- In a separate pan, lightly fry the chorizo until just browning, remove from heat.
- Blanch the Nettle tips for about 45 seconds, thoroughly squeeze out the water, then chop finely.
- Fry onion until translucent, and then add the garlic, cook for about a minute then add the nettles, chilli flakes and black pepper, and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add small amounts of stock, and wait for the nettles to absorb the liquid, then add more. How much is up to you, and don’t forget to add a couple of slugs of white wine.
Serves: 2 people
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds delicious I shall try it when I next come across some nettles.
Lin
Hello! As I’m completely new to wild food foraging, please can someone help me with the ‘specifics’ here? For instance, is it just the leaves we should use or can we duse the stems, too? And can we pick new leaves growing on old plants – or is is just small, young plants we use?
)
Many thanks
Hello! As I’m completely new to wild food foraging, please can someone help me with the ‘specifics’ here? For instance, is it just the leaves we should use or can we use the stems, too? And can we pick new leaves growing on old plants – or is is just small, young plants we use?
)
Many thanks
Oh yum! Nettles have such a savoury flavour, they’re amazing in mashed potato with a little butter and seasoning too. I will be trying this chorizo recipe for sure.
…though I’m not sure you should recommend ‘a slug’ of anything when talking about wild food recipes!!
Hi Arlene,
The stems are pretty tough, so much so they have been used for rope making in the past, or so I’ve read. I use the very top set of leaves on young and old plants, the stem is softer here too so I just chop it really fine. If you use bigger leaves be sure to strip them off the stem before use. If you jsut pinch off the tops though, the plant grows back more bushy than ever: more nettles to eat!
I did read somewhere that you shouldn’t eat nettles after they have flowered, as they may be too strong for the kidneys? Not sure if this is true, but there are usually non flowering plants still to be found even in flowering season, so i err on the side of caution and go for them.
Hope this helps!
Hi Arlene.
In response to you query. Ideally go for the fresh young nettle tips (top 4 leaves-ish). If you take the stem section they are attached to it is usually nice and tender, so really it is up to you. I wouldn’t recommend the stems on old plants as they can be very tough, fibrous and not particularly palatable. Do avoid old leaves of established nettles as they develop gritty particles (cystoliths) and are irritating to the kidneys. Enjoy!
Hi : I use young nettle tops in my lactic fermented kim chee. Cheers
I like the idea of using the nettles, but I’m having trouble finding the feral chorizo…
Nettle and Chorizo are two of my favorite things. I’ll have to try this recipe. It’s so simple and looks delicious.
On a recent trip to Romania the locals were out along the hedgerows picking nettles our driver said that you can pick the new leaves with no gloves it depends on the season as to when the top leaves sting is this right or was he having a joke at the jolly englishwomans expense?
Sherry – I think you will find that feral chorizo are found in abundance in the same environs as the feral haggis and black puddings try local heathlands, moorlands or tesco!!