In My Backyard: Nettles Fritatta

Take the plant that used to cause painful welts on the arms and legs and face of this young Indiana Jones, as I hacked a path through my backyard jungle in the rugged hills of Oakland, enduring the bites and stings of the poisonous (I imagined) thorns of the exotic nettle plant, take it and make a frittata.  Show it who's boss!

I was excited to see a basket at the farmer's market and, stuffing as much as I could into a bag (with tongs), I managed to just touch a piece to my skin, enough to feel a little tingly stinging.  Memories flooded back of summer days playing in the dusty, green hills, of that sharp, astringent scent I remember on my shoes and clothes, and I realized that I was preparing to eat a plant that I had avoided for many childhood years.  Just please don't tell me that poison oak will be appearing in our spring mix...

Nettles are used in cooking internationally but the first I heard of using them in food, was an incredibly delicious Nettles Parpardelle at Quince a couple of months ago.  They appear from March - May (celebrate), when the plant reaches about 6 inches; any taller and they start to get woody and inedible.  A woman at the market also buying nettles, about 3 pounds worth, for tea and said they were her medicine.  Nutritional, delicious and a rich medicinal history, all this in a plant growing in our backyards.

Nettles Frittata
Recipe by Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook

1 pound nettles
1 medium  onion, thinly sliced
good extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup young pecorino or Sardo
6 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

     Wash the nettles thoroughly WITH GLOVES ON, they will sting.
     Saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat (in a pan large enough to hold the nettles) until softened.  Add a bit more olive oil, add garlic. Season with salt and cook a minute.  Add nettles and turn the heat to high, cooking until nettles are wilted and most of the water they release has evaporated.  Drain in a colander and then when cool, chop coarsely.
     Mix chopped nettles in a bowl with the cheese and about 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add the eggs and season well.
     Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet, and pour in eggs and nettles mixture, cooking over medium-low until just set and starting to brown.  Slide the frittata onto a plate and then invert back into the pan.  Cook until done (I had to check inside, total cooking time was about 13 minutes).

THEN EAT!  I mostly followed this recipe, though I used half the cheese and olive oil, I just didn't think it needed it, and it was still excellent.  It was also excellent cold.

More wonderful nettles info and recipes at Mariquita Farm and Prodigal Gardens.

Comments

[Dr. Biggles]

You're awesome. Yeah, I sawr the nettles last weekend at the farmers market. I wanted to, but don't know much about using vegetables to cook with or eat. I am attempting though, maybe next year. Heh.

Senior Biggles

[Alice]

Wow, a plant that causes welt that you can eat???? I've never heard of these - nettles, huh? Interesting. Maybe you can point them out to me when we go on another Farmer's Market visit...

[Fatemeh]

So... erm... when EXACTLY do they lose their sting?

(asking because I'd be really mad at myself if I put my finger in the pan to test seasoning and then couldn't feel my tongue for a while)

[Molly]

Biggles - maybe you could grill the nettles? Stuffed in a pork chop? Stuffed in a turkey? It could be a turporkles!

Alice - I have only seen them once and only at the Ferry Building, but I'd love to know where else to get them...yummy.

F - I don't think it takes much for them to lose their sting, maybe just a little heat?? I cooked them for a decent amount of time and still ate cautiously. I am happy to report that we experienced no welts. Chris even said "that was good".

[Chris]

I said 'that was good' because it was good.

And it looked gorgeous too - that picture doesn't really do it justice.

[McAuliflower]

Oh neat! I had only just run across my first nettle recipe last week in Madison's Local Flavors. I'm glad to see someone with a knowledge of stinging nettles was brave enough to try this. When I get my courage up, I'll include my story of falling in a patch with my bathing suit on... :(

[CP]

I tried this recipe last night, with a couple of modifications:

1) I used only 1/2 pound of nettles; this was plenty, and my frittata was just as green as the one in the picture. Good news as nettles are $10/pound at the local farmer's market.

2) I used more oil than the recipe calls for, because I was using a stainless steel brazier rather than a non-stick skillet.

2) Instead of flipping it, I cooked it on the stovetop until set almost through, and then dusted the top with more microplanes cheese and put it under the broiler. The top browned nicely and it was delicious.