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Stinging Nettle and Wild Garlic Pesto
Stinging Nettle and Wild Garlic Pesto is a modern British recipe (based on an Italian original) for a classic vegetarian pasta sauce made with a mix of stinging nettles and wild garlic leaves with walnuts and Gran Padano cheese made into a paste with olive oil. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Stinging Nettle and Wild Garlic Pesto.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Serves:
12
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodSauce RecipesVegetarian RecipesCheese RecipesBritish Recipes
Two delights of early spring are nettle tops and bear or wild garlic. Here they are combined in a healthy and delicious pasta sauce recipe.
Ingredients:
1 thick bunch of young
stinging nettle tops
1 bunch of
wild garlic (ramson) leaves
70g walnuts
extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
140g freshly-grated Gran Padano cheese
Method:
Using gloves wash the nettles and strip off any wilted leaves. Heat a generous slug of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Wash and thinly slice the wild garlic leaves then add to the oil in the pan and fry gently. Once the leaves have begun to wilt add the nettles.
Decrease the heat and cook gently until the nettle leaves have wilted. Take off the heat and spoon the nettle and wild garlic mix into a food processor. Add the walnuts and a little olive oil then begin pulsing until the mixture breaks down to the consistency of pesto (add more olive oil, as needed).
Add the cheese and pulse to blend. Mix with hot pasta as a sauce. Any left-over pesto will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
