Nettle Pesto & Marinara

Wild harveseted nettles make a great pesto. This batch had a pound of blanched nettles, garlic, salt, toasted walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, and a slice of provolone cheese.  Pouring a thin layer of olive oil on top has preservative effects.



You can also make a great marinara with nettles.  Sautee an onion with garlic, pepper, and herbs.    In a blender puree 1 or 2 large cans of tomatoes with chopped blanched nettles and add back to the onion garlic sautee.

Nettles are very practical to make with pasta because you can reuse the boiling water for blanching the nettles for the pasta.