Simple Spring Stinging Nettle Frittata
Happy Spring Equinox!
Nothing says spring more than when I see stinging nettles start to peek through the dirt. This year, my patch started in early February, and I’ve been picking for a couple of weeks now.
What I love about having this patch at my house is that it’s a constant source of a nourishing green vegetable that I can go out and pick as needed.
Like anything you’re collecting from the wild, it’s important to be 100% confident that you know what you’re picking. Stinging nettles are a great place to start because they’re quite easy to identify. If you don’t want to forage, there are some small local grocery stores that carry them when they’re in season.
If you’re looking for a place to start learning, I’d suggest this video by Herbalist Yarrow Willard, who owns a Vancouver Island Herbal Dispensary Harmonic Arts, and goes through plant identification, habitat, nutritional value, and recipe ideas. If you don’t want to get stung, it’s important to always wear gloves when handling nettles until they’ve been cooked.
Nutritional Value of Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, is a herbal nutritive. It’s high in iron, magnesium, calcium and protein, B vitamins and antioxidants. It’s anti-inflammatory, a diuretic and detoxifier, which means it may help lower inflammation and remove waste and toxins from your body. It makes it a perfect food for spring when we’re starting to come out of our winter hibernation that may have left us with a bit of extra weight, and expand in to spring with movement and time in nature.
One of the aspects I appreciate most about seasonally available foods is their usefulness in transitioning our bodies from one season to the next - like nettles that provide support in shedding congestion from winter while being highly nutritionally dense food.
How to Cook with Stinging Nettle
I often make a simple nettle tea (made by soaking the leaves in hot water), and last year I harvested the seeds as well for a nutritional supplement to add to baking. This year, I’ve been curious to be creative with how I’m using them and experiment with different recipes. I found Rachel Lambert online on a dozen ways to cook nettles and she is giving me lots of inspiration. In general, nettles are great to use as you would spinach and can be a great substitute.
Today, I made a simple stinging nettle frittata with fresh dill and cultured cashew cheeze. The dill gives it a fresh and bright flavour, and I’ve used my favourite non-dairy cheese for that umami touch. Nettles have an earthy, slightly spicy taste to them, and they pair perfectly in this dish.
It would be great to serve with roasted potatoes, or on your favourite toast.
Wild Foods. Gluten-Free. Dairy Free. Sugar Free.
This is a great recipe to make if:
you’ve always been curious about experimenting with what to make with stinging nettles
you want a simple, nutritionally dense breakfast
you want to incorporate more wild foods into your meals
Ingredients
3 stalks fresh stinging nettle, approx. 6-9” tall (roughly 1 cup of leaves only, chopped)
3 eggs (ideally, from your local farm)
2 tsp fresh dill
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp Spread’em Kitchen “The Classic” firm cultured cashew cheeze (*if you eat dairy, you can substitute feta or goat cheese)
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh sprouts (I get mine from a
local farm - Livin’ the Dream Farm)
Directions
This recipe serves 2 people if you’re having it with toast or potatoes, or 1 person on its own. To double the recipe, also increase the pan size.
Using gloves, run the stinging nettles under cold water to remove any dirt that may be on them.
Keeping your gloves on, use scissors to cut off the leaves only from the plant. With your gloved hand, discard the stems. Finely chop the leaves.
Pre-heat a small non-stick pan on low (I have a gas stove with a 6” cast iron pan). Ensure you have a lid that fits tightly on top.
In a small bowl, combined 3 eggs and 2 tbsp water and whisk.
Add dill, red onion and nettles to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add olive oil to the pan, and tilt the pan to cover the entire bottom.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan, making sure the ingredients are spread out along the bottom. Top it with cultured cashew cheese and cover with a lid.
Cook for approximately 8 minutes. Different stoves will cook differently if you have gas or electric. It’s done when the top is puffed up and the edges are pulling away from the pan.
Top with sprouts. Serve with roasted potatoes or gluten-free toast.