Nettle Noodles

Nettles are full of minerals and essential nutrients. They are a boon for the hair, skin, and nails. They nourish the kidneys and adrenals, help balance blood sugar, and are generally a great healing herb.

Unfortunately, they also have stingers, little hairs that cause irritation and sometimes even a small blister when you touch them.

I avoid the stings and get the benefits of nettles by infusing the dried herb (1 oz of dried nettles in 1 quart boiling water, let sit overnight, strain and drink).

But the other day Flora Bella had fresh nettles at their stand. I could not resist buying a bunch.

My mother told me of picking and cooking wild nettles - she said they tasted like wet flannel. But I was not to be deterred. I changed the texture of the leaves - and removed flannel overtones - by puréeing them. But green mush is not appealing either. So I made it into noodles, using the nettles in place of the spinach in a standard spinach pasta recipe.

The result was beautiful green noodles. They did not taste of nettles, nor did they sting as we ate them. We could almost tell ourselves we were eating health food.

The secret to not getting stung by fresh nettles is to grasp them firmly. I got only one sting, and it faded by the next day.

And now I've conquered my fear of nettles, next time I see them I'll try them in soup - but I'll make sure to blanch and purée them first.

Nettle Noodles
1 cup nettle leaves
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp cold water
1 egg
1 cup flour

Cook the nettles in boiling water for 2 minutes until soft and tender. Drain and press out the water.

Purée them in the food processor. Add the olive oil and water and purée again. Add the egg and pulse it in a couple of times. Then add half the flour, process for a few seconds, then add the remaining flour and process until it forms a ball. (Sprinkle with a very little water if it won't come together. The liquid needed will depend on how well you drained your nettles.)

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times. (You won't get stung.) Form a ball of the dough, cover it with an upside-down bowl, and let it stand 45 minutes.

Roll the dough into a large thin rectangle, approximately 12x16 inches. Let it air-dry for an hour until the surface is not sticky.

Roll it up loosely like a jelly-roll, and slice it into 1/2 inch thick noodles. Unroll the noodles and cook in a big pot of boiling salted water until just cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce, or with a little olive oil and grated parmesan.

Serves 2