Nettles

Nettle Filo Pie

Once you get your head around the notion that this plant is going to bite you back, the nettle is an adaptable kitchen ingredient with a lovely aroma and earthy flavour.

Herbalists tell us it is a plant ruled by the planet Mars, linked to the Roman God of War no less. The nettle is a formidable herb that delivers a great punch of trace minerals that stimulate – not for nothing is it known as the ginseng of the West – and cleanse. The nettle's, shall we call it, counter-irritational qualities make it good for eczema and arthritis and gout. It’s full of iron and the butterflies love it. I’ve also come to love its sweet elder-like smell. And you can do so much with it.

If you are lucky enough to have some in your garden, know that it is because you have healthy rich soil. Historians have been known to identify ancient dwellings simply from a crop of nettles, which can persist for centuries, and love the enrichment of soil that occurs when human life was present.

If you want to use the leaves throughout the year, then keep cutting it. Once it goes to seed, you can eat the seed heads, but they aren’t so suitable for the leafy recipes that are so good to make at this time of year. Right now, there is plenty of it about - use only the tips, the younger leaves. Make sure to wash it well, and don't pick it where you think someone might have sprayed with pesticide.

 Nettle Filo-Pie

Nettle Pasta with Mushroom Sauce, Garlic and Cuckoo flowers

This is based on Claudia Roden’s classic version of Spinakopitta.
750g spinach
250g nettle leaves
1 onion, finely diced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
olive oil
4 tablespoons dill or parsley
4 eggs
200g feta cheese
50g ricotta cheese or cream cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
nutmeg
500g filo pastry

Wearing gloves, wash the nettles carefully and remove any stalks. Wash and de-stalk the spinach. Sauté the onions and spring onions in the olive oil and, when soft, add the dill or parsley. Add the greens, and stir until soft. Now you can take the gloves off. The nettle will surrender its sting at the first sign of heat.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and mix with the feta and ricotta, or cream cheese. Allow the spinach/nettle mixture to cool slightly, and then spoon into the eggs, removing as much liquid as you can from the greens. (Don’t throw this liquid away, use it for soup, or drink it down there and then - it’s precious stuff).

Line a baking tin with half the filo pastry, brushing generously with olive oil between each layer. The filo should be slightly larger than the tin, overlap the extra bit, and, after placing the nettle mixture into the tin, fold over, brushing again with oil as you do. Top the pie with the remaining filo pastry, again brushing liberally with oil between each sheet and folding over the excess between more brushes of oil.

Cut the pie into squares, but don’t cut all the way through, and bake for 1 hour in a preheated 190ºC oven.

Nettle Pesto

about a colander full of nettle tips
3 sprigs fresh mint leaves
100g pinenuts
70g grated Parmesan
olive oil to taste

Remove any stalks from the nettles (wearing gloves!) and place leaves and tips into boiling water to blanch for about a minute. Immediately refresh in iced water, then strain.

Put through a salad spinner, or press in a tea towel to remove the moisture. Place everything except the oil in a food processor and process. Drizzle in oil to taste. I add enough to make it quite thick and granular. It stores well in the fridge with a light topping of more oil. Every time you use some, just replace with a film of oil.

Suggestions for the pesto:

• Make into a school lunch salad with cooked pasta, chick peas, garlic flowers, tomatoes.
• Bake a potato. Take the flesh out and mash with some pesto. Return to the potato skin and bake until hot again, and slightly crispy on top.
• Use in sandwiches.
• Use to garnish a soup.
• Use to make a nettle pasta - add thick nettle pesto to the pasta dough.

Pasta and Chickpea Salad with nettle pesto