Comments on: Dangerous Food: Stinging Nettle Pesto

By: The Local Beet: Chicago » Weekly Harvest 6/29/12 Food Blogs Here and Yonder

The Local Beet: Chicago » Weekly Harvest 6/29/12 Food Blogs Here and Yonder — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:46:30 +0000

[...] Ruhlman had a post on nettle pesto. Moira Tuffy had a piece here on the Beet about nettle soup several months ago. Be sure to follow [...]

By: Guillaume

Guillaume — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:46:16 +0000

I have seen nettle flour in Finland. They put it in porridge and other pastries I think.

By: Jim Dixon

Jim Dixon — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:06:23 +0000

Fritters are my preferred nettle dish. A bit more about Urtica dioica in this article I wrote a few years ago:

http://www.culinate.com/articles/produce_diaries/nettles

By: Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:49:16 +0000

I can’t imagine using dried. But I would think any fresh green would work. The greens serves to spread the tasty stuff around.

By: Gourmet Mushrooms Glass Jar

Gourmet Mushrooms Glass Jar — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:10:18 +0000

[...] long time many days as I continue to add water as needed. For that salty taste for any of the . Dangerous Food: Stinging Nettle Pesto | Michael Ruhlman Wild mushrooms. Raw meat. Even oysters, still virtually alive. Why on earth would anyone try to eat [...]

By: Allen

Allen — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:43:18 +0000

I had trouble finding any, and when I did, I dried a large amount to put in tea or flavor soups. I never thought of making pesto/ nesto, sounds great!
Would you consider using dried, or is that sacrilege like basil?
Also worth mentioning the many health benefits touted on the web, better than snake oil.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:25:45 +0000

They can be creamed like spinach (with garlic) and eaten with polenta and an egg sunny side up.
The water in which they boiled is a great detox liquid – an acquired taste, though..

By: Jesse W.

Jesse W. — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:18:32 +0000

I recently purchased some nettles at my farmers market and made a pretty similar recipe. However my gf is allergic to nuts of all kinds so we substituted toasted pine nuts. If anyone is interested the nettles from the northwestern Washington state have a taste similar to spinach with a touch of fish flavor. I have been told that other varieties have less of a fishy taste. I also dry the fresh plant on racks to make tea, it is supposed to help with allergies but I have yet to try it.

By: Tucker Keene

Tucker Keene — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:31:51 +0000

The market I work at sells Bhut Jolokia Ghost Peppers both fresh and dried. Those things can put you in the hospital, I’m pretty sure they’re more dangerous than a stinging nettle! I am interested in trying this though, no clue where in Dallas I’d find them though!

By: Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies

Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:09:36 +0000

Love the name nesto!! Unfortunately I hardly have seen any nettles here in the area I live at in Colorado (probably too dry), but I know lots of spots in Germany where to pick tons of them. Too bad.

By: jeff

jeff — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:19:40 +0000

i have thought about this a bunch – it must be an amazing coincidence that the most delicious fish just so happens to have a deadly poisonous liver. and i found goose barnacles from spain that sell for $85 for a 4oz tin, where these barnacles only grow on deadly cliffs – again amazing that such a delicious critter grows in such tough locations. and other examples – my sarcasm hinting at the fact that perhaps there is something other than taste that drives these specialties – macho daring, bragging rites, etc. it is much like how i find it amazing that treasured truffles are so hard to find – so are they tasty and coveted so much because they are rare, or are they actually that good?

By: Carri

Carri — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:10:41 +0000

I really appreciate you letting me romp in your nettle patch, Michael! Also, a big Thanks to Jenny Coyle (and husband Dan) for the invaluable help with this post! (and thank goodness for iphones, just sayin’!) Look for Dan’s latest literary feat, ‘The Little Book of Talent’ out soon …you gotta love any book that tells you to take a nap!