NETTLE OMELET WITH SPRING ONION

I know.... it's weird that we cultivate weeds in our backyard, especially when you consider how unfriendly nettles appear to be. One touch and you know why they're called "stinging" nettles. But this luscious weed is worth the hassle. Not only are stinging nettles absolutely delicious, they're super good for you...packed with fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, D, and K. Nettles are a miraculous anti-inflammatory, treatment of seasonal allergies, and a known blood purifier. We brew nettles as a simple tea, saute them as we could spinach or other tender greens, and puree them into pesto. Once nettles are cooked, the infamous sting disappears.

Nettles seem to be cropping up at more and more farmers' markets these days. I've even seen them at Monterey Market. Or if you're of the adventurous foraging ilk, you might find nettles growing wild nearby. Please, harvest the nettles with care. Using gloves is always a safe bet, though I find a good set of tongs and scissors to work for me as long as I'm careful not to casually brush my arm against the bush while harvesting.

Nettles and eggs make delicious companions. The tender greens are so good sauteed with a little spring onion and Parmesan and tucked into a tender omelet. Of course you can eat this dish for breakfast, but remember omelets make a nice lunch or easy supper.

If you're curious about nettles, read more here and here.

INGREDIENTS makes 1 omelet, though you can easily double, triple... the recipe to feed as many as you choose

• 3 packed cups trimmed and washed nettle leaves (see my notes above about the necessary precautions for handling fresh nettles)
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion or scallion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• sea salt
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
• 2-3 eggs
• splash of water
• freshly ground black pepper
• unsalted butter
• optional for garnish: chopped onion greens and/or onion blossoms

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add nettle leaves. Use tongs to toss nettles and coat them in the warm oil. Add a sprinkling of sea salt to the greens. Cover the pan, turn then flame to low and continue to cook nettles for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted and tender.

Place cooked nettles on a cutting board, and coarsely chop. Set chopped nettles next to your stove so that you can easily add them to your omelet in just a few minutes. Place your grated Parm next to the stove top as well.

Set a small, well-seasoned cast iron (or non-stick) pan over medium heat so that it can thoroughly preheat before you cook your omelet. In the meantime, whisk eggs vigorously in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and a tiny splash of tap water.

If you're new to cooking omelets and would like some visual help, you might want to check out this post from my archives. 

Place 1/2 tablespoon butter in the hot pan. Swirl it around to coat all sides. (If the pan is too hot and the butter browns, use a paper towel to wipe out the pan, adjust the flame and start with a fresh pat of butter.) Once the melted butter has coated the sides of the pan, immediately add the whisked eggs. Grab the handle of the pan and tilt it so the eggs evenly coat the bottom, and slightly up the sides of the pan. Once the eggs start to form large bubbles, use a spatula to pull the eggs from the edge towards the middle of the pan, letting the runny eggs fill the void. Repeat this action in 3-4 places until there's no longer any excess runny egg.

Once your eggs have a nice rumpled surface, sprinkle the grated Parm onto the omelet. Next add the chopped, cooked nettles. (If the omelet still looks a little underdone to your taste, turn the flame to low and cover the pan for just a minute or so. I personally like my omelets with a slightly gooey middle.) Slide the omelet from the pan onto a plate, letting it fold onto itself.

Serve omelet right away and garnish with onion greens (and blossoms, if you've got them.) Enjoy!
 

Spring Vegetable Tart

Asparagus, how many ways can I adore you?

I'm not sure about you, but for me asparagus is so emblematic of Spring, my favorite season. This elegant vegetable is the main event here, and Riverdog's green garlic is a worthy complimentary flavor.  I continue to be inspired by our Riverdog Farm CSA Box.  Every week it is a treat to see what they are giving us and a savory tart is a great vehicle for endless vegetable combinations.

Paul is always willing to wander the woods for nettles, so we added nettles to the mix. If you aren't a nettle hunter, spinach would also work well in this tart.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 cups sliced asparagus
• 3 cup nettle or spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup sliced green garlic or spring onion  
• olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup grated Gruyere
• 3 oz chevre, crumbled
  
• 1/2 recipe flaky tart dough

Preheat oven to 375.

Follow directions for flaky tart dough. Roll out dough and fit into lightly buttered tart pan. Refrigerate  until fillings are ready.

Saute greens with a little olive oil. Set aside to cool. Squeeze to release any excess liquid. Chop.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add sliced green garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add asparagus slices and salt. Saute for a minute then add a splash of water, cover, stew for 8 minutes or so. Remove lid and cook another 2-3 minutes until liquid is reduced and vegetables are glistening with butter and oil. Asparagus should be just cooked and not at all mushy.  Set aside.

Remove tart pan and dough from refrigerator and assemble the tart:


First sprinkle grated Gruyere to cover the bottom of the crust.....

Next add the sauteed and chopped greens....

Distribute the asparagus and green garlic...

Dot the top with chevre...

Bake on the lower rack of your oven for 30-40 minute until the crust is golden brown.

Savory Custard with Wild Nettles

When I first met P twenty years ago in New York City, I never would have guessed he'd be the back-to-nature, off-the-grid, tree-huggin' guy he is now. Yes, we have solar panels.Yes, we have bio-diesel cars. Yes, our backyard is now a veggie garden. Yes, we compost and recycle just about everything.

But the new frontier for my man is the frontier itself... He is foraging in the woods.

A few weeks back I wrote of our Chanterelle hunting and the delicious bounty from that endeavor. This time P returned to the woods in search of wild nettles. Armed with tongs and a bag, off he went. He had done careful research in identifying nettles and was giddy to find his first patch. Unwilling to fully trust his discovery, he tried the fool-proof touch test; P brushed his hand over the nettle and the sting was undeniable.

If you don't have nettles growing in your yard and are not inclined to wander the woods nearby, nettles sometimes pop up at the spring farmer's market. If they aren't available, you can use spinach as a lovely substitute; even sauteed mushroom would be delicious here. A savory custard is simply a crust-less quiche where an infinite number of variations would work and I encourage you to have fun experimenting with different herb, cheese, and vegetable combinations. (Also, if you are a devoted quiche person, you can use this recipe as a tasty filling.)

If you need further convincing to try nettles, note that they have been used for ages for their medicinal properties and are especially helpful for allergies.

SAVORY CUSTARD WITH WILD NETTLES
custard technique adapted from NY Times article dated October 4, 2006

• 4 4 inch ramekins, buttered
• 3 eggs, plus 2 yokes at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• a couple of thyme sprigs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 leek, thinly chop the tender white end only
• 3-4 cups stinging nettle leaves (spinach or mushrooms would work here as well)
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300.

Put a kettle of water on the stove to heat.

Place milk and cream in a small saucepan along with the thyme sprigs. Gently warm and the thyme will steep in the liquid.

Carefully handle the uncooked nettles. Use gloves and tongs and do not touch the raw plant directly or you will suffer that famous sting. Wash nettles and leave them wet. Saute leeks with olive oil.  After leeks are tender, add washed nettle leaves and garlic and saute until cooked thoroughly. Once the nettles are cooked, there is no more risk of sting and you can handle them as you would spinach or any other green. Set aside. When cooled, squeeze veggies in a cloth to wring out all the liquid. Roughly chop greens. You want about 1 cup cooked veggies in the end.

Butter ramekins. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup of veggies into the bottom of each ramekin. Place ramekins in a large baking dish (that will hold the custards' water bath) space ramekins at least 1 inch apart. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk eggs, yokes, and salt until blended. Add grated Parmesan.

Remove thyme branches from cream/milk. Slowly pour cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour egg/cream mix into each ramekin to cover the sauteed veggies.

Pour hot (but not boiling water) into the large baking dish holding the custard ramekins. The water should reach up to just one inch below the rims of the ramekins.

Bake in oven for about 35 minutes. To test for doneness, carefully tilt a ramekin to the side. If the center bulges, but no liquid leaks out, then they are done.

You can eat these delectable custards within a few hours of cooking - either warm or at room temp.

We ate our nettle custards for dinner with a roast chicken and simple salad. I also think they would be fun for brunch with friends.