Nettle Pesto

 Stinging Nettle Pesto

It is that magical time of the year that inevitably surprises me with the lush green of spring and the abundance of nature.  Now is the time to begin foraging for wild edibles!  I picked a sack full of nettle leaves to make nettle pesto today.  The end result was amazing!  I'd like to share it with you as well as some other food combining and menu ideas.  I have made nettle pesto before, and to refresh my memory on the ingredients and amounts I visited Fat of the Land, a great Seattle blog that posts recipes made from foraged food in the pacific northwest.  Fat of the Land has many delicious recipes that you can easily make at home using wild plants in your backyard (depending on where you live).

Nettle Pesto
adapted from Fat of the Land
~2 cups blanched nettles (2 cups worth after having blanched and then squeezed out all the water and chopped) or about 8 cups of fresh (approximate)
~1/4 cup pine nuts
~1/4 cup walnuts
~1/2 cup olive oil
~1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
~2 TBS fresh lemon juice
~2 cloves of garlic (less if you don't want a garlic-y flavor) 

Preparing the Nettles:
Use heavy gloves to pick the nettles.  Pick the top most, healthiest looking leaves.  I don't bother to pick any stems because I only use the leaves anyway.  In a large pan bring about 1/2 inch of water to a boil.  Measure out 8 packed cups worth of leaves and put them in the boiling water.  Blanche them for 1 minute then pour out the remaining water.

You can use this nutrient rich liquid for soups or pour it in with your dog's food.  Use dish washing type gloves to squeeze out any of the extra water in the nettles, just in case there is any more stinging power!  You will want to get all the water out so that olive oil is the lubricating liquid in the pesto. Next, chop the nettles and place in food processor.

Add walnuts and pine nuts, half of the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and lemon juice to the food processor with the nettles.  Blend, then add the remaining half of the olive oil.  Blend again.

I added an extra few tablespoons of olive oil to the pesto before I served it on noodles with butter fried salmon and a side of roasted red and yellow peppers and asparagus.  What a treat it was.  The pesto was lovely on the salmon. 

Adding extra olive oil makes the pesto more spreadable.  Great for breads and crackers. 

I just have to say that I had a beautiful picture of the aforementioned  meal: salmon, vegetables, pesto and noodles.  BUT I took it on my camera without the memory card in, arrrgh.  So, unfortunately I cannot share it with you.  Very disappointing.  You would've loved the colors.  POW!  You'll just have to use your imagination.

Be sure to check out Fat of the Land:
http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/2009/03/stinging-nettle-pesto.html
Also try Fat of the Land's Stinging Nettle Soup

While I was in the kitchen making food, Marina was taking riding lessons from Grandma Vicky including lunging and bridle work on pony "Joey".