WHB #95 - tortilla with a sting
Nettles: I asked and you told me - ‘use it like spinach’ and soon I discovered that this herb with a sting is easily tamed into a sweet bunch of greens.
The darling Mrs Grieve gives many culinary uses for nettles. The nettle pudding – a mix of nettles, green vegetables and rice, boiled in salty water in a muslin bag sounded interesting. Maybe later. But for my nettle initiation I decided to go back to first principles of exploring new flavours by cooking them with eggs. At first I decided to blanch some young nettle tops and add them to a tortilla Español. A little bit of greens would go well with some potato and olives I reckoned. While I started slowly cooking the spuds and onions, I dunked the nettles into hot water. About 30 seconds later I took them out to drain.
Then I did a stupid thing - I tasted them!
No, my throat didn’t swell from the nettles sting. I just fell in love with its sweet flavour, not a whisper of a barb. One minute I was squeezing out the water by rolling the blanched nettles in a clean tea towel and the next, without thinking, I had chopped the log into rounds, dressing them with a little sesame oil – and finished the lot.
Round two, the next day I was determined to marry the eggs and herbs. Simpler this time, I slowly cooked some onion and a little garlic in olive oil. To the garden, well gloved, once more I cut a whole bowlful of green tops then carefully chopped, the same rough cut I would do with parsley. With the onions well sweated I tossed in the nettles a bit at a time, with some semidried tomatoes. When all the nettles had cooked through, in came a couple of fresh, beaten eggs with just a smidge of salt and pepper. Call it an omelette, frittata or tortilla – I prefer to cook it the Spanish way – over low heat with a lid on, til cooked.
The verdict. Though packed with greens, the herby taste was barely noticeable. This is a sneaky way to up the nutrient content of a humble dish. But I think I need a few more hits of the sweet nettles, blanched and simply dressed before the season ends
WHB #95 is being hosted by Melissa from Cooking Diva. Don't forget to check out all the other herbal and vegetable creations that will be up on her site in a couple of days.
(Hmmm it's now friday - let's hope Melissa gets home from her trip and puts WHB up soon!)
The darling Mrs Grieve gives many culinary uses for nettles. The nettle pudding – a mix of nettles, green vegetables and rice, boiled in salty water in a muslin bag sounded interesting. Maybe later. But for my nettle initiation I decided to go back to first principles of exploring new flavours by cooking them with eggs. At first I decided to blanch some young nettle tops and add them to a tortilla Español. A little bit of greens would go well with some potato and olives I reckoned. While I started slowly cooking the spuds and onions, I dunked the nettles into hot water. About 30 seconds later I took them out to drain.
Then I did a stupid thing - I tasted them!
No, my throat didn’t swell from the nettles sting. I just fell in love with its sweet flavour, not a whisper of a barb. One minute I was squeezing out the water by rolling the blanched nettles in a clean tea towel and the next, without thinking, I had chopped the log into rounds, dressing them with a little sesame oil – and finished the lot.
Round two, the next day I was determined to marry the eggs and herbs. Simpler this time, I slowly cooked some onion and a little garlic in olive oil. To the garden, well gloved, once more I cut a whole bowlful of green tops then carefully chopped, the same rough cut I would do with parsley. With the onions well sweated I tossed in the nettles a bit at a time, with some semidried tomatoes. When all the nettles had cooked through, in came a couple of fresh, beaten eggs with just a smidge of salt and pepper. Call it an omelette, frittata or tortilla – I prefer to cook it the Spanish way – over low heat with a lid on, til cooked.
The verdict. Though packed with greens, the herby taste was barely noticeable. This is a sneaky way to up the nutrient content of a humble dish. But I think I need a few more hits of the sweet nettles, blanched and simply dressed before the season ends
WHB #95 is being hosted by Melissa from Cooking Diva. Don't forget to check out all the other herbal and vegetable creations that will be up on her site in a couple of days.
(Hmmm it's now friday - let's hope Melissa gets home from her trip and puts WHB up soon!)
Labels: dairy-free, eggs, herbs, nettles, vegetarian, weekend herb blogging
posted by GS at 9:56 am
11 Comments:
I didn't know about this herb, thank you for sharing the tasty green finds and for joining WHB#95!
You know I had to have that bacon Sandwich first and Jackie had to phone her parents so I arrived just after he last bunch sold damnit. I suppose it serves me right for lounging around in bed with dogs all morning.
Bacon - the secret killer!
Most interesting. I've never seen or tasted nettles, but of course I've heard them called "stinging nettles" so I would have supposed they would be a challenge to eat. Now I want to try some!
howdy. i've just completely cleared my back yard of its throng of nettles (they go fantastically in the compost, by the way - really get things moving), and since reading this and your other nettle post i'm now filled with regret. you said earlier they're good for hayfever: how exactly? tea?
Yes fresh nettle leaf tea is good for hayfever, also it has a little iron and is considered a 'detox' herb. Don't worry they are tenacious and will be back next year. But its so strange to see them through winter not spring!
I saw the nettles at the collingwood children's farm on the weekend and was curious but neither brave enough nor inspired enough as there was so much other good food there - but was v interesting to see what you did with them - makes me think I should try them next time!
Thanks! I think there may even be another lot coming up as we speak. Type. Whatever...
Hi Johanna - these were in the garden, so I was excited to have a chat with the grower at the farm and other passers by to get their nettle tips. One suggested a nettle risotto which might be next.
PS: I'm also reading 'Animal Vegetable Mineral' and am thinking more about local eating.
I'm happy to see that Melissa is doing better and has finally posted the recap for this WHB. Thanks for being so patient.
hey, i noticed the same thing about nettels - their taste is barely noticeable in a pie filling, so i guess it wont be much noticeable in the omelette
i now add them to any green dishes i make - sounds sensible since they're packed with vitamins
we forage them from the garden - they're not available at markets, and that's a good thing, otherwise, people would stop foraging them for free
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