Delicious nettle recipes

Nettle dishes are packed with vitamins. Eating this pungent herb in food will make up for the lack of minerals and diversify the usual dishes. Simple recipes for nettle are suitable for any home cook and do not require special ingredients and skills.

The use of nettle in cooking

The high content of vitamins and microelements in nettle allows you to get the maximum benefit from the dishes for the whole body. In some European countries, the plant is grown and cultivated. For adherents of a vegetarian diet, nettle has become a source of protein - it contains 2 times more protein than some legumes.

Is it possible to eat fresh nettle

Nettles can and should be eaten fresh. The weed retains its beneficial properties if it is not heat treated. In this case, it is important to carefully prepare the grass and make it not stinging. Nettles will not bite if you pour boiling water over them and then rinse them in cold water.

The content of vitamins in nettles

Nettle is a real treasure of trace elements. It contains zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, copper. Eating weed dishes:

• promotes anti-inflammatory effect;
• improves blood clotting;
• has a beneficial effect on skin tone;
• heals some diseases of the liver and genitourinary system.

In addition, eating nettle is worth it to remove toxins from the body. The polysaccharides of cellulose and lignins contained in the weed, vitamins from groups A, B, C, E, K help to get rid of excess toxins.

When nettles start to grow

Young nettles appear in the spring. In mid-latitudes, it begins to grow in March. The most common weed is stinging nettle. The plant can be harvested throughout the spring and up to and including June.

What can be cooked from young nettles

Young nettles have a wide range of culinary uses. Acting as a supplement to various kinds of food, the weed increases its benefits. By itself, the herb rarely determines the entire flavor of a dish, but it will become a piquant note in any form.

Salads

The fastest application of nettle in cooking is the addition of vegetable salad, the herb will not give a defining taste, but will become a mysterious and useful ingredient. The weed goes well with any raw vegetables and is excellent in a vegetable oil sauce with vinegar.

Porridge

Nettle is used as a base for cereals, as well as a supplement. One can argue about the benefits of the herb for a long time, but the dish has an unusual taste for sure. As a decoration and to increase the benefits, the weed is added to buckwheat and pearl barley, millet and rice cereals.

First meal

You can cook nettle as a first course in different ways. The most common are soups with weeds and cereals, lean cabbage soup or meat broth. Botvinya and okroshka will be fresh summer recipes.

Okroshka

May nettle will be an excellent addition to traditional okroshka. To prepare this refreshing summer meal, you will need the following ingredients:

• medium cucumber - 4 pcs.;
• radish - 5-6 pcs.;
• green onions - 50 gr.;
• dill - 100 gr.;
• nettle - 400 gr.;
• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• sour cream - to taste;
• salt to taste.

Cooking steps:

1. The first step is to rinse the nettle and pour boiling water over it. After 10 minutes, when the weed loses its burning properties, rinse the ingredient with cold water. Pat dry with paper towel. Make mashed potatoes from the washed and soaked nettle.
   
2. Chop radishes, cucumbers, onions, dill. Mix all the ingredients with kvass, add nettle puree, salt.
   
3. Serve with sour cream and hard boiled egg. Okroshka with grass will turn out to be a thick and light dish.

Second courses

You can prepare young nettles in different ways, including as a main course. Various kinds of light and healthy breakfasts, hearty dinners, meat food - all this can be in harmony with grass. Nettle recipes for food are not distinguished by an abundance of products and complexity of execution.

Pilaf

For lean tasty pilaf, you need the following ingredients:

• young nettle - 300 gr.;
• onions - 200 gr.;
• carrots - 200 gr.;
• rice / pearl barley - 2 glasses;
• water - 1.5 l;
• garlic - 1 head;
• vegetable oil - 100 ml.;
• salt to taste;
• ground pepper - to taste.

1. The first step is to prepare the nettle. It must be rinsed and kept in boiling water for several minutes. Chop the grass, onions. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Saute the chopped ingredients in oil until tender.
2. 3 Boil and mix cereals with previously cooked products.
3. Season with salt and pepper, add chopped garlic. Do not subject the dish to further heat treatment.

Omelet

A hearty and healthy breakfast of eggs is in the diet of many. There are plenty of recipes for this nettle dish: the invaluable vitamin herb is a beneficial addition to classic food. To make an omelet with added weed, you will need:

• nettle - 100 gr.;
• medium eggs - 4 pcs.;
• sour cream - 1 tbsp. the spoon;
• spices to taste;
• butter - 30 gr.

Cooking process:

1. Rinse the nettle, pour boiling water over it - as always, to eliminate the stinginess. Cut in small pieces.
   
2. Break eggs into a deep bowl, add sour cream, salt and spices. Mix thoroughly, add chopped grass.
   
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan, pour the mixture into it. Fry over low heat until the piece is completely seized.
4. Turn the omelet onto a plate - it has a brown crust and a delicate filling.
   

Cutlets

These lean and healthy cutlets make a great light dinner for vegetarian food lovers. The low calorie content makes the nettle dish a godsend for losing weight. You will need the following ingredients:

• young nettle - 300 gr.;
• onion - 1 pc .;
• white beans - 100 gr.;
• wheat flour - 4 tbsp. the spoon;
• vegetable oil - 100 gr.;
• spices to taste;
• salt to taste.

1. First, you need to soak the beans overnight. Then chop it and onion in a blender until puree is completely homogeneous.
2. Place the herb in boiling water for a couple of minutes, rinse with cold water, grind. Combine all ingredients, add salt and spices.
3. Form cutlets of the desired size from the mass, roll in flour and fry in vegetable oil.

Sauces

Young nettle recipes include many cooking versions of this vitamin weed. For big lovers of a spicy herbal taste, there are several options for sauces. They will serve as an excellent addition to the usual dishes and will significantly increase the beneficial properties.

For the first version of the sauce, you will need the following products:

• nettle - 3 medium bunches;
• pine nuts or walnuts - 2-3 handfuls;
• olive oil - 7 tbsp. spoons;
• Parmesan cheese - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• salt to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Grind the boiled nettle with oil in a blender.
2. Add nuts, grated cheese and salt to the mixture. Everything must be brought to a homogeneous mass.
3. This sauce can be stored in a vacuum jar or served fresh.

For the second recipe:

• nettle - 500 gr.;
• onion - 1 pc .;
• flour - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• olive oil - 50 gr.;
• chicken broth - 200 gr.;
• sour cream - 50 gr.;
• salt and spices to taste.

Recipe algorithm:

1. Rinse nettles and boil in salted water for 5 minutes, finely chop.
2. Fry flour in a frying pan until creamy, add oil and chopped onion to the mixture. When the mass becomes golden, pour in the chicken broth and chopped nettle.
3. After boiling the sauce, add sour cream, remove from heat.
4. Decorate the dish with herbs before serving.

Bakery products

One of the more unusual culinary uses of nettles is in baking. The ingredients are still very little different from traditional food. Here are some recipes for extraordinary delicious young weed dishes.

Cupcakes

To make delicious chocolate nettle muffins, you will need:

• wheat flour - 1.5 cups;
• cocoa powder - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• chopped young nettle - 1 glass;
• brown sugar - 2/3 cup;
• medium eggs - 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - ½ cup;
• milk - ¾ glass;
• baking powder - 2 tsp.

Recipe steps:

1. Pour boiling water over the nettle to eliminate the stinging properties. Cool in ice water to preserve the fresh, rich green color of the grass. Dry with paper towels, chop finely.
   
2. Beat eggs with brown sugar. It is necessary to obtain airy foam. Mix flour, baking powder and cocoa separately.
   
3. Pour vegetable oil and milk into the egg-sugar mixture, mix. Add dry composition and achieve a homogeneous mass.
4. Add chopped nettle to the finished dough. Stir.
   
5. Pour 3/4 of the dough into muffin molds, garnish with a nettle leaf with boiled water. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
   
6. When serving, sprinkle the finished dish with icing sugar.

Casserole

For the casserole you will need:

• millet groats - 100 gr.;
• semolina - 5 tbsp. spoons;
• young nettle - 50 gr.;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• water - 400 ml.;
• onions - 100 gr.;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• sunflower oil - 1 tbsp. the spoon;
• butter - to taste;
• salt and spices to taste.

Cooking process:

1. First you need to boil the millet. To do this, pour the broth into the cereal: it is permissible to use vegetable, chicken or meat. Cook until the water has completely evaporated.
   
2. Scald the nettle with boiling water for a few minutes. Rinse with cool water. For the casserole, you only need leaves. Dry the herb with paper towels and chop.
   
3. Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces, fry until golden brown in sunflower oil. Add the fried vegetables to the millet groats and mix thoroughly. Beat the chicken egg into the mixture.
4. Add chopped nettle. Add semolina, salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. Grease a casserole dish with butter and pour the prepared mass into it. Put a piece of the same oil on top.
6. Bake at 190-200 degrees for 30 minutes.
   

Pancakes

It's not just an omelet that can be used to prepare nettle for breakfast - here's another quick and easy recipe for a hearty and healthy start to your day.

Ingredients:

• kefir - 0.5 l;
• eggs - 3 pcs.;
• baking powder - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 2 pinches;
• salt - 1/3 teaspoon;
• wheat flour - 2 cups;
• nettle, dill and parsley - 50 g each;
• sunflower oil - 4 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking steps:

1. Break chicken eggs into kefir and add salt and sugar, pepper. Stir well.
   
2. Mix the sifted flour with baking powder and add the dry mixture to the kefir mass.
3. Grind the herbs. It is not necessary to treat the nettle with boiling water - when frying in a pan, it will lose its pungency.
4. Add greens to the dough, mix.
   
5. Fry pancakes in sunflower oil until golden brown.
   

The drinks

The fresh herbaceous flavor of nettle is great for making cold drinks. Spicy notes make weed cocktails and smoothies an unusual addition to the usual diet and are a rich source of vitamins. Drinks effectively fight thirst and are suitable for the summer season.

desserts

Young nettles are suitable not only for main dishes, but also for various sweets. There are not so many benefits of dessert food, but the variety for real sweet tooth is unforgettable. Here are some recipes for preparing nettles.

Pudding

Ingredients:

• pumpkin puree - 2 cups;
• semolina - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• chicken egg - 2 pcs.;
• raisins - 1 tbsp. the spoon;
• chopped nettle - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• cottage cheese with sour cream 1: 1 - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• salt and sugar to taste

Recipe algorithm:

1. Grind the peeled pumpkin in a meat grinder along with nettles and raisins.
2. Add eggs, semolina and salt to the resulting mass. Bring to a homogeneous state.
3. Do not fill the form for future pudding to the end.
4. Cook for 25 minutes in a water bath.
5. Serve the dish with a mixture of curd and sour cream.

Marmalade

For a sweet herbal dessert you will need:

• water - 100 gr.;
• sugar - 100 gr.;
• gelatin - 50 gr.;
• young nettle (leaves) - 30 gr.;
• ¼ lemon juice;
• orange juice - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• icing sugar - 30 gr.;
• vanillin to taste.

Step by step cooking:

1. Stir vanillin and sugar in water thoroughly. Add gelatin to the sweet solution, stir until the granules disappear completely.
   
2. Pour boiling water over the nettle, then cold water. Dry. Grind with a blender until liquid puree. Add lemon and orange juice to the herbal mass.
   
3. Mix all ingredients. Pour into ice cube trays and chill. When serving, sprinkle with icing sugar.
   

Limitations and contraindications

Nettle is not recommended for use when:

• varicose veins;
• atherosclerosis;
• increased blood density;
• high blood pressure.

The weed owes all contraindications to its hemostatic properties.

Can pregnant women eat nettles?

Stinging nettle is strongly discouraged for pregnant women. It can cause miscarriage. Weed dishes should be excluded for this period. However, nursing mothers, in the absence of contraindications, this herb will be useful for lactation.

Conclusion

Nettle dishes are an amazing and unique source of nutrients. Weed foods are high in vitamins while being lean. Culinary ingenuity helps to play up the herb in cooking and make it an unusual addition to everyday food.

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