I love pestos of all sort, and this is high up on the culinary ranking list. Not only delicious but as nourishing as you can get it. Together with dandelion ,nettle is probably the most valuable green plant growing in your garden, so take well care of her. Harvest her regularly and she will supply you with new growth of delicious food and medicine throughout the summer.
I have neglected using her this summer ,and my nettles are high and full of seeds by now. Hopefully the butterflies and other little animals have been enjoying her. But now I will cut her down and put her in a bucket of water for some weeks and fertilize my hungry tomato-plants. And then fresh new ones can grow up for my pleasure...
Let me give some hints to the working of daily use of nettle in your diet or a cup of infusion every day for six weeks can do...( Extract from Susun Weeds)
As she is an excellent source of minerals,vitamins and amino-acids, she is readily absorbed by all soft tissue and working fluids, blood ,lymph, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Resulting in increased ease and energy in the operation of the circulatory, immune, endocrine, nervous, and the urinary system.
Meaning that she will help stabilizing the blood sugar, reset metabolic circuits, to normalize weight, reduce fatigue and exhaustion, restore adrenal potency to lessen allergic and menopausal problems, and eliminate chronic headaches. And very good for those with susceptibility to rheumatic complaints.
Also she is highly recommended to pregnant and lactating women. (phuuuuu)
Again, nettle is one of the few herbs that you can´t overdose on. She is a food above all.
And here is a great way to enjoy her...The recipe is taken from the garden blog www.mailhos.info/
A english woman in France that have made a great garden,written a book about it and have a blog well worth checking out!
Pic a whole bunch of young nettles,with or without gloves... When I don´t feel too rushed, I enjoy picking her with some consciousness, without gloves, holding her in one leave, (taking care not to get in touch with the burning edges of the leaves), and cutting her with the scissors .
Nettle Pesto with Sun Dried Tomatoes
30g breadcrumbs
200g young baby nettle heads
30g grated pecorino or an aged sheep`s cheese
2 crushed garlic cloves with salt
200ml olive oil
4 medium sun dried tomatoes
salt and pepper
Scatter the breadcrumbs on a baking tray and toast in an oven set to 180 degrees until golden and dry.
With your gloves on, wash the nettle heads well. Blanche in boiling water for a mere minute and drain through a sieve over a bowl (to save the precious green water to drink) before plunging them in a bowl of cold water. Remove and dry in a salad spinner.
Put the nettles, breadcrumbs, garlic and cheese in a food processor and spin while trickling in the olive oil until you have a bright, runny paste.
Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the tomatoes into ribbons and incorporate into the pesto.
No comments:
Post a Comment