Nettle ravioli

A ray of sunshine has coaxed nettles from their slumber in my part of the world so I can get going with recipes that would otherwise use spinach

For pasta I use the formula 100gm flour to one egg plus pinch of salt

For ravioli I find the number 8 setting on my machine is about right for thickness; it goes to nine, two short of the fabled eleven

For the filling, blanched and chopped nettle tops, ricotta or goats cheese, an egg, seasoning with salt pepper nutmeg

 

[TomMapfumo]

Sounds good! Never used nettles before. Any tips for picking them safely - marigold gloves, or do you pick them using fancy techniques to avoid the sting? I have some goats cheese so could try it fairly soon, or just use wild garlic instead.

Regards
Tom

 

[kevgermany]

Nettles sting with the hairs on the leaves. If you stroke from stalk to leaf, they become easy to handle with bare hands. But it's too much for harvesting, so use gloves...

 

[Ivan]

I use the top two or three pairs of leaves, the lower ones are woodier as is the stalk, glove on one hand and scissors in the other... snip snip snip and you get a bowlful in short order

I've tried doing without the glove and toughing it out on the principle that a nettle grasped will sting less... I managed it but I didn't enjoy the experience

 

[Pete Thomas]

I've tried doing without the glove and toughing it out on the principle that a nettle grasped will sting less... I managed it but I didn't enjoy the experience

This never works, they hunt as a pack. You grasp one and the one next to it leans over and gets you.

 

[Ivan]

This never works, they hunt as a pack. You grasp one and the one next to it leans over and gets you.

I s'pose in the case of nettles revenge is a dish best served hot

 

[kernewegor]

How terribly droll. Breath, where is thy sting?

 

[Ivan]

How terribly droll. Breath, where is thy sting?

The nettles mounted a defense when I gathered them for soup last weekend... a fine spattering of rook poo kept my grasping glove away from all but the clean ones

I dunno how it works in Darwinian terms but it's in the nettle's favour to grow under a rookery where they are unappetising to even the greediest human (me) yet they get a good feed of guano