Recipes for dishes from fresh nettles. Nettle recipes: tasty and very healthy. Curd with nettle

Consumption ecology: Nettle is a valuable plant, a kind of natural concentrate of vitamins. Ascorbic acid in it is twice as much as in the fruits of black currant and lemon, the content of carotene is higher

Do not miss the moment when young nettles are born. It is tender and very useful when eaten. It is better to collect it before flowering.Nettle is a valuable plant, a kind of natural concentrate of vitamins. Ascorbic acid in it is twice as much as in blackcurrant fruits and lemon, the carotene content is higher than in sea buckthorn berries, carrots and sorrel, and only 20 leaves of nettle provide our body daily rate vitamin A. In addition, nettle is rich in vitamins K, E and B and trace elements: iron, magnesium, copper, calcium, etc.

Nettle contains silicon, flavonoids, phytoncides, and organic acids, thanks to which nettle has general strengthening properties: it increases the body's resistance to many bacteria, toxins, the harmful effects of radiation, strengthens the immune system, and also provides a high degree of protection of the body from oxygen deficiency.

By improving the course of all energy processes in general, nettle has a stimulating effect on carbohydrate and protein metabolism, which is why it is so often recommended for chronic diseases, when the overall resistance of the body is noticeably reduced.

Vitamin K saturates the nettle with a powerful hemostatic property. Vitamin K increases blood clotting and has an anti-inflammatory effect, which allows the use of nettle as a wound healing agent both for external use and for internal uterine, pulmonary, renal, intestinal and other internal bleeding.

Nettle leaves also contain pure chlorophyll, without any admixture of other pigments. Chlorophyll has a strong stimulating and tonic effect on the body, improves metabolism, increases intestinal tone, of cardio-vascular system and respiratory center, and also promotes the healing of affected tissues.

WHAT CAN BE PREPARED FROM NETTLE

Lots of different dishes! These are first courses, i.e. soups, second courses, salads and pies, cereals and sauces, meatballs, tea and juice.

It is only important to understand that young nettle is still rarely used as the main component of the recipe, more as an addition to taste. For example, like greens. Therefore, it can be put into many ordinary dishes that you usually cook, giving them a new taste and making them healthy.

So that young nettles do not lose their useful properties it is necessary to subject it to heat treatment as little as possible.

Maximum nettle should be boiled for no more than 3 minutes. Even when scalded with boiling water, it already stops stinging and can be finely chopped for use in salads or other dishes. If you want to keep as much vitamin A as possible, then it is better to grind nettles with your hands or with a ceramic knife.

Young nettles are added to soups, main dishes and cereals at the end of cooking. Complying with these rules will not work only in pies and cutlets. By brewing young nettle leaves, we get tea for everyone.

Nettle leaf juice is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, or for drinks, to get it, young nettles are soaked in clean water for a few hours, and then a good squeeze in gauze.

HOW TO COLLECT AND PREPARE NETTLE.

You need to collect young nettles starting from April, in a clean forest, far from roads, landfills, cattle burial grounds and industrial enterprises. We use young leaves and upper tender stems. We take healthy green parts. In order not to get burned, we use gloves.

YOUNG NETTLE CAN BE DRY, SALTED OR FREEZED FOR FUTURE:

It is necessary to dry in the shade, the shelf life of dried nettles is no more than 2 years. For salting, young nettles are well washed and finely cut, 1 kg is taken from 50 to 100 grams of salt, this is somewhere around 2-4 tablespoons. Mix the chopped nettles well with salt, lay them tightly in glass jars and close with regular reusable lids. Store in a cold place, such as a refrigerator or cellar, for up to 1 month. For freezing, we also wash young nettles well, dry them, put them in plastic bags or plastic jars from mayonnaise and put them in the freezer for storage.

RECIPES FROM YOUNG NETTLE

NETTLE SHI

You will need:

young nettle,
1 egg, carrot,
onion and / or green,
potato,
salt.

Pour boiling water over the nettle and chop finely.
First, put diced potatoes in boiling water, after 10 minutes add onions with carrots, after another 5 minutes - nettles, salt and add a beaten egg with a fork into the soup, stirring the soup vigorously, boil the cabbage soup for another 3 minutes and serve with sour cream .

SOUPCHIK "VITAMIN" FROM NETTLE (with cheese)
for 2 liters of water:

2-3 pcs. medium sized potatoes
1-2 carrots
200 gr Adyghe cheese
a bunch of young nettles
30 gr butter
about 1 tbsp. coarse salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
sour cream

Boil water and add diced potatoes.
Remove the foam, add the carrots cut into small cubes, Bay leaf and butter.

Wash nettles and remove thick stems, if any. Don't cut it too small. So that the nettle does not sting, you can pour boiling water over it, but it is better not to do this in order to save more vitamins, but to cut it with rubber gloves.

Adyghe cheese (paneer) cut into cubes. When the vegetables in the saucepan become soft and easily pierced with a knife (after 10 minutes), add cheese, nettles and salt. Let it boil for another 5 minutes and turn it off. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve with sour cream.

That's all! Nettle soup is prepared very quickly and turns out to be tasty and satisfying. At the end of cooking, by the way, you can add sorrel, it will be even tastier and healthier.

OAT PANCAKES WITH NETTLE AND SWAN

Pour a little boiling water into the hercules and place it to swell.
at this time, wash and chop the young nettle, quinoa and green garlic feathers.
add crushed greens, salt, one egg and a spoonful of rast to our herculean mass. oils.
knead the donuts.
put our pancakes with a spoon on a frying pan heated with vegetable oil. fry on both sides until golden brown. can be served with milk)

COTTAGE COTTAGE WITH NETTLE

Wipe 200 grams of cottage cheese through a sieve, mix the curd mass with a glass of finely chopped nettle leaves. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil and 1 tsp. mustard.

JUST NETTLE SALAD

You will need: young nettle, green onion, dill, parsley, vegetable oil, pepper, salt.
Nettle leaves should be washed and scalded with boiling water, finely chopped, combined with finely chopped dill, parsley and green onions, salt, pepper and season with oil.

NETTLE SALAD WITH EGG

Dip nettle leaves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, put on a sieve. Then chop, season with vinegar, put slices of boiled eggs on top, pour over sour cream.
Young nettle - 600 g, eggs - 4 pcs., Sour cream - 80 g, vinegar, salt to taste.

sauerkraut

You will need 100 g of salt, 5 kg of nettle, 2 g of cumin, 150 g of apples, 150 g of carrots, bay leaves, allspice and 50 g of cranberries or lingonberries.

Rinse the young shoots of the nettle and place in an enamel bowl along with apples, carrots, cranberries or lingonberries, bay leaves, cumin, salt and pepper. Then apply oppression. After 2 weeks, nettles can be used in cabbage soup, for seasoning fish and meat dishes.

PLANTAINE AND NETTLE SALAD WITH ONION

Dip plantain and nettle for 1 minute in boiling water, put on a sieve, chop and add chopped onion and horseradish. Season with salt and dill, sprinkle with chopped eggs, pour over with sour cream.

Young plantain leaves - 250 g,
nettle - 200 g, onion - 250 g,
horseradish - 100 g, eggs - 2 pcs.,
sour cream - 80 g,
vinegar, salt to taste.

NETTLE JUICE

Rinse young shoots of nettle and pass through a juicer. pomace pour boiled water, pass through a meat grinder and squeeze again. Mix the juices of the first and second extractions, pour into scalded 0.5 liter cans and pasteurized at a temperature of 65-70°C. Store juice jars in a cool place.
These juices are used to prepare various condiments, sauces and drinks.

MOLDOVAN BORSCH WITH NETTLE

Rinse the prepared young nettle leaves, pass through a meat grinder.
Send rice to boiling water, cook for 10 minutes, add diced potatoes, sautéed roots, onions. tomato puree, salt, add sorrel leaves, 3 minutes before readiness, add the prepared nettle mass to the soup, boil.
Serve with sour cream and hard-boiled eggs.

FILLING FOR NETTLE PIES

Pour young shoots of nettles with boiling water, drain the water, chop the nettles and mix with boiled rice. Add finely chopped eggs, salt, season with melted butter.

For 1 kg. nettle
100 g rice
5 eggs
60 g butter
salt to taste.

NETTLE CAN BE ADDED TO ANY MEAT AND FISH DISHES.

The list of dishes that can be prepared from nettle is huge - and all because it has been eaten for centuries, for centuries it has been considered one of the main healing products.

A rich set of biologically active elements explains the wide range of restorative and therapeutic and prophylactic properties of nettle. Nettle allows you to restore the functions of vital organs and normalize the body as a whole.

However, when using nettle, you should be aware that it thickens our blood, so people who have problems with blood vessels, heart, hypertension are not recommended to use it frequently. Pregnant women should not eat it, because it can provoke premature contractions. published

Young spring nettle contains a large number of tannins, organic acids and chlorophyll containing magnesium

Stinging nettle - she rich in vitamins: carotene, calcium carbonate, vitamins K, B-2, C. Ascorbic acid very young spring shoots are richest. The leaves contain a large amount starch, sugars, tannins, organic acids. Rich nettle and chlorophyll containing magnesium. Nettle is one of the few plants rich in calcium.

When preparing nettle dishes, one should not forget that vitamin K is not useful for everyone. Frequent consumption of nettle in food causes an increase in blood clotting, therefore, in old age, as well as varicose veins it is better not to abuse nettle veins. You can weaken the hemostatic effect of nettle by adding herbs to dishes from it that reduce blood clotting, such as sweet clover.

Nettle with butter and eggs

Ingredients (for 4 servings): 1 kg nettle, 4 onions, 6-8 tbsp. melted butter, 4 eggs, 8 sprigs of green cilantro, salt - to taste.

Boil the nettle and squeeze lightly. Stew the chopped onion until soft in 3-4 tablespoons of oil, put nettle, finely chopped cilantro, oil, salt in it. Mix everything well and simmer again. Pour in the beaten eggs and bring to the boil.
Cooking time 20 min.

Wren

Compound: fresh nettle, potato, vegetable oil, onion, garlic, egg, salt, spices.
Prepare a decoction of fresh nettle: put the herb in cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Fry nettles with onions in oil, adding salt, in a pan, preferably under a lid, until the onions are fully cooked, then add boiled potatoes, fry for another five minutes, then beat in an egg, and at the very end add crushed garlic. Spices taste good, but allspice, anise and basil work well.

frankfurt green salad

Compound: greens, 2 boiled eggs, 1 small onion, curdled milk (sunflower oil or other), salt and pepper.
Two handfuls of herbs (dandelion, nettle, peppermint, borage, sorrel, dill, parsley, green onion or something else to taste) chop or chop finely, add chopped eggs and finely chopped onion. Refueling: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of curdled milk, pepper and salt to taste (or any other).

Spinach with nettles and croutons

Compound: 100 g of spinach and nettle, 15 g of onion, 75 g of meat juice, 10 g of butter, 3 g of wheat flour, 60 g of egg porridge, pepper, nutmeg; for croutons: 25 g of wheat bread, 25 g of milk, 1 egg, 2 g of sugar, 8 g of butter.

Rinse young spring nettles or tops of summer nettles with 4-5 upper leaves that have not yet become coarsened several times a day. cold water, then immerse in boiling water, cook for 3-5 minutes and drain in a colander. Then squeeze and chop with a knife or pass through a meat grinder with a rare grate. Do the same with fresh spinach.

Put the nettle and spinach in one bowl, add the browned onion, pour in the meat juice and simmer in a sealed bowl for 10-15 minutes. When the greens become soft, season them with salt, pepper and nutmeg, add wheat flour mixed with butter and, stirring, heat until thickened. When serving, put the spinach in a bowl or porcelain salad bowl, in the middle put a heap of a tablespoon of egg porridge or an egg boiled in a bag.

Bukhara pilaf with nettle without meat

Compound: rice and carrots - 400 g each, raisins and onions - 200 g each, oil - 160 g, young nettle greens - 50 g, salt to taste.
Peeled carrots, onions are cut into strips and sautéed in vegetable oil until half cooked. Washed rice soaked in cold salty water, sorted and washed raisins, chopped young nettles are poured into the dishes, pour hot water and cook with the lid closed until tender.

Combined nettle salad

Compound: 30 g nettle leaves, 20 gr. primrose leaves, 20 gr. young dandelion leaves, 10 gr. onion, 30 gr. carrots, 20 gr. hell.
Onions, carrots, horseradish are ground on a grater or meat grinder, add 50 gr. sour cream, mixed with herbs and placed in the center of the plate. Nettle, primrose, and dandelion leaves are beautifully laid along its edges.

Beetroot with nettle

Compound: 1 cup finely chopped nettle, 1 small beetroot, 2 garlic cloves, mayonnaise.
Wash the beets and boil for 1.5-2 hours, cool, cut into thin slices, crush the garlic or finely chop. Soak young nettles for 1 hour in cold water, then wash thoroughly, chop finely, combine with boiled beets and crushed garlic. Season with mayonnaise, salt to taste.

Nettle stew with vegetables

Compound: 1 cup chopped nettle leaves, 1 carrot, 1 tomato, 0.5 cup chopped julienne white cabbage, 1 onion, 1 liter of water, 4 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, bay leaf, salt.
In boiling water, put carrots, cabbage, sliced \u200b\u200btomato slices, rings onion. Cook until cooked, then add nettle, salt, bay leaf.

nettle salad

Compound: young nettle - 2 bunches (about 400g), green onions - 1 bunch (about 100g), parsley - 1 bunch, peeled walnuts - 1/2 cup, salt - to taste.
Place the washed nettle leaves in boiling water for a few minutes, then put it on a sieve, let the water drain. Then chop the greens, put in a salad bowl, add chopped green onions and combine with nettles. crushed kernels walnuts dilute nettle broth in a quarter cup, add vinegar to taste, mix and fill nettles in a salad bowl with the resulting mixture.
Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

Salad "Joy"

Compound: nettle - 20g, sorrel - 20g, parsley - 20g, dill - 20g, green onion - 20g, garlic - 2g, vegetable oil - 8g, salt.
Processed nettle leaves, sorted and washed parsley, dill, green onions, sorrel are finely chopped, chopped garlic is added, salted to taste, seasoned vegetable oil.

Nettle with nuts

Compound:

nettle - 1kg, water (slightly salted)- 1.5 cups, flour, vegetable oil, ground red pepper, thyme - 1 sprig, garlic, vinegar 3% - 1 tbsp. l., walnuts(crushed) - 4. Art. l, eggs - 5 pcs.

We sort the nettle, wash it, put it in a saucepan, pour in hot - 1.5 cups - salted water and cook until soft. Take out of the broth, wring out and grind wooden spoon. Fry flour with vegetable oil in a pan (1<2 стакана) и добавляем молотый красный перец. Кладем крапиву в пассеровку, размешиваем и вливаем такое количество горячей воды, чтобы получилось не очень густое пюре.

Rub with salt a sprig of thyme, garlic and add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of 3% vinegar, Fill the nettle with this mixture and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. We put the finished nettle on a dish and sprinkle with coarsely crushed walnuts (4 tablespoons). Hard boil 5 pcs. eggs, cut each into 4 slices, lay on the edge of the dish and lightly sprinkle with salt and ground red pepper.

Nettle salad with nuts

Washed leaves (200 g) are placed in boiling water for 5 minutes, then put in a colander and chopped. Crushed walnut kernels (25 g) dilute in a nettle broth (1/4 cup), add vinegar, mix and fill the nettle with the resulting mixture. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and onion.

Nettle salad with egg

Washed leaves (150 g) boil in water for 5 minutes, put in a colander, chop, season with salt, vinegar, top with slices of hard-boiled eggs, pour sour cream (20 g).

Shchi green with nettle

Boil young nettles (150 g) in water for 3 minutes, drain in a colander, pass through a meat grinder and simmer with fat (10 g) for 10-15 minutes. Sauté finely chopped carrots (5 g), parsley (5 g) and onions (20 g) in fat. In boiling broth or water (600-700 ml), put nettles, browned vegetables and cook for 20-25 minutes. 10 minutes before readiness, add sorrel (50 g), green onions (15 g), bay leaf, pepper and salt (to taste). When serving, season with sour cream (15 g).

Nettle and potato soup

Put young nettles (250 g) for 2 minutes in boiling water (700 ml), put in a colander, finely chop and simmer with fat (20 g) for 10 minutes. Grind and sauté carrots (10 g) and onions (80 g). In a boiling broth, dip the sliced \u200b\u200bpotatoes (200 g); after the broth boils again, add nettles, carrots and onions. 5-10 minutes before readiness, put sorrel greens (120 g). When serving, put slices of hard-boiled eggs and sour cream (20 g) on a plate.

Armenian nettle soup

In a boiling broth (400 ml), put prepared rice (10 g), finely chopped onion (10 g), bring to a boil, add coarsely chopped potatoes (30 g). 10 minutes before the end of cooking put chopped young nettle (50 g), salt, spices. When serving, sprinkle the soup with herbs.

Botvinya homemade

Prepared spinach (30 g), young nettle (30 g) and sorrel (50 g) separately, wipe, dilute with kvass (350 ml), add salt (2 g), sugar (5 g). Boiled fish, slices of fresh cucumbers, chopped green onions, grated horseradish, lettuce served separately.

Nettle pudding

Grind greens of young nettle (100 g), spinach (200 g) and quinoa (50 g) and stew with milk or sour cream (30-40 g) until soft. Add egg powder (5-8 g), breadcrumbs (25 g), granulated sugar (3-5 g) and salt (2 g) to the finished greens, mix everything thoroughly, put the mass into a saucepan greased with butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Nettle balls

Put nettle (100 g) in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, put in a colander, chop, mix with thick wheat porridge (200 g), add fat (20 g) and salt (to taste), form meatballs from the resulting mass and fry them.

Nettle omelette

Boil nettles (500 g) in salted water, put in a colander and chop. In fried on ghee (3 tablespoons) onions (3 heads) add finely chopped dill or parsley (4 sprigs), mix with nettles and simmer until soft, then pour over beaten eggs (2 pcs.) And keep on fire until tender .

Nettle stewed with cheese

Simmer chopped nettle (80 g) for 5 minutes, add chopped green onions (10 g), salt, pepper, flour, grated cheese (30 g), simmer in melted butter (15 g) for 5 minutes. Pour the omelet mixture into the same dish (milk - 65 ml, wheat flour - 20 g, egg - 1/2 pc.) And bake in the oven.

Salted nettle

Wash young leaves and shoots, chop, put in glass jars, sprinkling layers of greens with salt (50 g per 1 kg of greens).

nettle juice

Pass the young nettle through a meat grinder, add cold boiled water (500 ml), mix, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth. Pass the remaining marc again through a meat grinder, dilute with water (500 ml), squeeze out the juice and combine with the first portion. Pour the juice into half-liter jars, pasteurize at a temperature of 65-70°C for 15 minutes, close with boiled polyethylene lids. Store in a cool place.

Trio cocktail

Combine nettle juice (200 ml), horseradish (200 ml) and onion (15 ml), add food ice (2 cubes) and salt (to taste).

Nettle pie filling

Pour boiling water over young nettles (1 kg) for 5 minutes, drain in a colander, chop, mix with boiled rice or sago (100 g) and chopped hard-boiled eggs (5 pcs.).

Hello friends!

Well, here it is May, Hooray! ☺

Happy holidays, weekends and the opening of the summer season!

Now it's time for fresh vitamins!

In our summer cottages and gardens, she appears, beautiful and very useful,.

Sorrel, dill, parsley, arugula, all kinds of green salads…

Well, what do you do with the young nettles that so often spike along the fences?

Pull out and throw away?! Do not rush to do it again!!!

With the right preparation, nettles can turn into very tasty and healthy greens!

Yes, you can eat this stinging herb! ☺

From this article you will learn:

What to cook from nettle - useful recipes

Young nettle is a hypervitamin herb.

In terms of the amount of B vitamins and carotene (provitamin A), it is significantly superior to other medicinal herbs.

It contains iron, boron, nickel, manganese and copper.

It has a good choleretic, hemostatic and tonic effect.

Improves metabolism, enhances digestion, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol, increases hemoglobin.

So, let's figure out how to cook nettle correctly and what can be done from it?

What does nettle taste like?

Nettle has both a bright and delicate taste, as well as a delicate aroma.

Yes, and don’t be afraid that it will burn, it won’t if you cook it correctly!

What can be cooked from nettles:

In its structure, it is very similar to, so it can be replaced with any dishes that require the presence of this greens (spinach) in their preparation.
From young shoots and leaves of nettle, you can cook very tasty and healthy vitamin soups, cabbage soup, borscht.
It makes exceptionally tasty salads and vitamin side dishes.
Nettles can be fermented. Once I tried a surprisingly delicious one with cranberries and apples.
Grass can be used in place of green onions in pie fillings.
It goes well with boiled eggs, meat, butter, fresh radishes, cheese.
Fresh nettle is used as a natural dye in the preparation of cream for cakes and pastries.
And you can also cook amazingly delicious hot snacks from nettles !!!
In Georgia, pkhali with nuts, cold soup with radish and tarragon are prepared from nettles.

In Russia, nettle has long been used as a "refrigerator". It turns out that if fresh fish or meat is very well wrapped in fresh nettles and periodically change these leaves, then the products can be kept fresh even in extreme heat.

What kind of nettle can be used in cooking?

For cooking, you need to take only young, tender, fresh nettles.

Unfortunately, by the middle and end of summer, the leaves of this wonderful plant become hard and inedible!

Therefore, the “delicious nettle season” lasts on average until mid-July.

Nettle cooking rules

Fresh young nettles should be cut and put in cold water for 15-20 minutes.

If the nettle is old, then it should be blanched in boiling water or boiled for 3-5 minutes to remove the bitterness and make it softer.

Nettle in cooking - cooking recipes

I will share my cooking ideas and I will be glad if you share your recipes in the comments to this post.

nettle salads

Most often, cold salads are prepared from young nettles.

Before preparing the salad, the nettle should be lightly ground and finely chopped.

It is ideal to mix with any other greens, boiled egg, radish, suluguni cheese.

It is best to season nettle salads with light yogurt or kefir.

Nettle soups

Fresh nettle is added 10 minutes before the end of cooking.

Best of all, this plant manifests itself in vegetable soups, in meat broths its taste is lost, it becomes less saturated.

Nettle garnishes

Nettle can be added when cooking various cereals and potatoes.

Just put a bunch of fresh leaves in the pot where the side dish (like potatoes) is being cooked 10 minutes before the end of cooking and then take it out. The leaves will give the side dish its taste and aroma.

Hot appetizer with nettle

Fry the leeks in butter and add chopped nettles, fry the greens until lightly crunchy and serve the dish hot, sprinkled with cheese, garnished with cherry tomatoes.

How to prepare nettles for the winter?

There are several ways to prepare nettles: drying, pickling and canning.

I offer my own version: the original pesto sauce for the winter with nettles.

Take:

1 kg fresh young nettle
3 garlic cloves
100 ml olive oil
50.0 balsamic vinegar
100.0 grated parmesan
150.0 chopped walnuts
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
Roll up in 0.5 l jars and sterilize for 10 minutes.
Store in refrigerator.

Such nettle pesto can be added to any hot dishes 2 minutes before cooking, as well as to cold appetizers and simply as a seasoning for side dishes.

The first nettle cabbage soup was given to us with difficulty. It was already quite a few years ago, the nettle threatened to burn, the idea of turning it into soup seemed an unworthy trick of country life, devoid of such an option as a supermarket with human products. Everything that happened in a small country kitchen - the battle with burning stems and the separation of tender leaves - was a feat, and the result - the most tender and emerald-bright cabbage soup - was an accidental luck.
Having repeated this culinary experiment and other experiments with nettles since then, not once, let's say: the idea to put weeds in cooking is a good one.

Nettle is a very delicate product that gives the charm of freshness, summer to every dish in which it appears. You can do with it, in addition to cabbage soup, salads and pies. But you need to start with soups - because the transformation of an evil weed into a wonderful dish is most obvious here.
You'll see, another year and nettles will be served in restaurants. The trend for pasture and local products is so strong that it will definitely happen. This will be followed by salads with goutweed and dandelions, spicy plantain sauce and burdock tartare. And it's wonderful! In the meantime, you need to train on nettles.
By the way, culinary historians believe that nettle soup is an archetype food that all of Europe ate in the spring, then the archetypal soup was transformed into a variety of cabbage soup, cream soups, etc.
Traditional recipes for nettle soups are found in Sweden and Ireland. Well, in Russia, of course.
The components are the same everywhere - except for nettles, potatoes and onions are sent to the soup. Sometimes they are accompanied by carrots and rice. The last one is in case you do not make cabbage soup, but cream soup. Rice is needed for a viscous consistency.
How to handle nettles before boiling them?
Nettles must be found in a secluded place, preferably in the forest. So that there is no environmental trouble nearby - passing cars, for example. Young shoots should be selected. Often they are lighter than the rest and certainly lower.

Here is a nettle suitable

Shchi with nettle

2 cups nettle leaves
2 potatoes
1 carrot
1 bulb
1 hard boiled egg
sour cream
salt - to taste

The production method is simple: we clean the onion, throw it into a saucepan with water, send it to the fire. We clean the potatoes, cut them into cubes and throw them to the onion, Peel the carrots and cut them into circles - we also send them to the soup. Add salt and wait until the soup boils and boils, gurgling quietly, another 15 minutes after that. During this time, grind the nettle. Hard stems need to be cut off, everything that goes into cooking should be tender. Add nettle at the end of cooking, it will cook very quickly. Five minutes of cooking is enough time for it. But the soup comes out beautiful, if you give the nettle more time, then it cooks to a puree state and the soup looks especially beautiful. After that, turn off the fire, the soup can be served. Put a boiled egg (half or slice) and sour cream on a plate.

Nettle is a valuable multivitamin plant, a kind of natural concentrate of vitamins.

Ascorbic acid in it is twice as much as in blackcurrant fruits and lemon, the carotene content is higher than in sea buckthorn berries, carrots and sorrel, and only 20 leaves of nettle provide our body with a daily intake of vitamin A.

In addition, nettle is rich in vitamins K, E and B and trace elements, including iron, magnesium, copper, calcium, etc.

Nettle leaves also contain pure chlorophyll, without any admixture of other pigments. Chlorophyll has a strong stimulating and tonic effect on the body, improves metabolism, increases the tone of the intestines, the cardiovascular system and the respiratory center, and also promotes the healing of affected tissues.

Do not miss the moment when young nettles are born. It is still tender and very useful when eaten.
It is best to collect it before flowering.

How to cook nettle

In order for young nettles not to lose their beneficial properties, it is necessary to subject them to heat treatment as little as possible.

Young nettles are added to soups, main dishes and cereals at the end of cooking.

Complying with these rules will not work only in pies and cutlets.

By brewing young nettle leaves, we get tea for everyone.

Nettle leaf juice is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, or for drinks, in order to get it, young nettles are soaked in clean water for several hours, and then squeezed well in gauze.

How to collect and harvest nettles

You need to collect young nettles starting in April, in a clean forest, far from roads, landfills, cattle burial grounds and industrial enterprises.

We use young leaves and upper tender stems. We take healthy green parts. In order not to get burned, we use gloves.

For future use, young nettles can be dried, salted or frozen.

It is necessary to dry in the shade, the shelf life of dried nettles is no more than 2 years.

For salting, young nettles are well washed and finely cut, 1 kg is taken from 50 to 100 grams of salt, this is somewhere around 2-4 tablespoons. Mix the chopped nettles well with salt, put them tightly in glass jars and close with ordinary reusable lids. Store in a cold place, such as a refrigerator or cellar, for up to 1 month.

For freezing, we also wash young nettles well, dry them, put them in plastic bags or plastic jars from mayonnaise and put them in the freezer for storage.

Young nettle recipes

Nettle cabbage soup

This is, of course, the most famous first course that can be cooked with nettles.
You will need: young nettle, 1 egg, carrots, onions and / or green onions, potatoes, salt.

Pour boiling water over the nettle and chop finely.
First, put diced potatoes in boiling water or (broth with meat), after 10 minutes add onions and carrots, after another 5 minutes - nettles, salt and add a beaten egg with a fork into the soup, stirring the soup vigorously, boil the cabbage soup for another 3 minutes and serve with sour cream.

Soup "vitamin" from nettle with cheese

Ingredientsfor 2 liters of water:

2-3 pcs. medium sized potatoes
1-2 carrots
200 gr Adyghe cheese
a bunch of young nettles
30 gr butter
about 1 tbsp. coarse salt
spices: ground black pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves
sour cream

Boil water and add diced potatoes.
Remove the foam, add the carrots, bay leaf and butter cut into small cubes.

When the vegetables in the saucepan become soft and easily pierced with a knife (after 10 minutes), add cheese, nettles and salt. Let it boil for another 5 minutes and turn it off.
Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve with sour cream.
Nettle soup is prepared very quickly and turns out to be tasty and satisfying. At the end of cooking, by the way, you can add sorrel, it will be even tastier and healthier.

Oat pancakes with nettle and quinoa

Pour a little boiling water into the hercules and place it to swell.
At this time, wash and chop the young nettle, quinoa and green garlic feathers.
Add crushed greens, salt, one egg and a spoonful of vegetable oil to our herculean mass.
Knead the fritters. On a frying pan heated with vegetable oil, put a spoonful of pancakes. Fry on both sides until golden brown. can be served with milk.

Curd with nettle

Wipe 200 grams of cottage cheese through a sieve, mix the curd mass with a glass of finely chopped nettle leaves. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil and 1 tsp. mustard.

nettle salad

Nettle salad with nuts and garlic

Ingredients:

500 g nettle leaves,
50 g of parsley and dill,
4 garlic cloves,
1-2 walnut kernels,
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil,
1 tbsp lemon juice, salt.

Rinse the nettles and dip in salted boiling water, boil for 3-4 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, put in a colander, knead slightly, transfer to a bowl. Mix the oil with crushed garlic and salt, put the mixture to the nettles along with chopped dill and parsley, as well as crushed nuts, sprinkle with lemon juice.

Nettle salad with walnuts and onions

Dip washed nettle leaves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, put on a sieve, chop with a knife, put in a salad bowl, chop green onions and combine with nettles. Dilute crushed walnut kernels in 0.25 cups of nettle broth, add vinegar, mix and fill nettles in a salad bowl with the resulting mixture. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.
Young nettle - 800 g, green onion - 120 g, parsley - 80 g, peeled walnuts - 100 g, herbs, salt to taste.

Nettle salad with egg

Dip nettle leaves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, put on a sieve. Then chop, season with vinegar, put slices of boiled eggs on top, pour over sour cream.
Young nettles - 600 g, eggs - 4 pcs., Sour cream - 80 g, vinegar, salt to taste.

pickled nettle

You will need 100 g of salt, 5 kg of nettle, 2 g of cumin, 150 g of apples, 150 g of carrots, bay leaves, allspice and 50 g of cranberries or lingonberries.

Nettle meatballs with millet

Take 20 g of fat, 100 g of nettle, 200 g of millet porridge, table salt to taste. Before cooking, scald the nettle, chop, boil in boiling water for 3 minutes, put it on a sieve, chop, mix with thick millet porridge, form meatballs and bake in a pre-greased form.

Nettle oil for sandwiches

Take 2 tbsp. l. nettle leaves and finely chop or pass through a meat grinder, and then mix with 100 grams of soft butter. Add some grated horseradish to your liking and you have "green butter" for spreading slices of bread.

Plantain and nettle salad with onions

Dip plantain and nettle for 1 minute in boiling water, put on a sieve, chop and add chopped onion and horseradish. Season with salt and dill, sprinkle with chopped eggs, pour over with sour cream.
Young plantain leaves - 250 g, nettle - 200 g, onion - 250 g, horseradish - 100 g, eggs - 2 pcs., Sour cream - 80 g, vinegar, salt to taste.

nettle juice

Rinse young shoots of nettle and pass through a juicer. Pour the pomace with boiled water, pass through a meat grinder and squeeze again. Mix juices of the first and second extractions, pour into scalded 0.5 liter jars and pasteurize at a temperature of 65-70°C. Store juice jars in a cool place.
These juices are used to prepare various condiments, sauces and drinks.

Moldavian borscht with nettle

Nettle soup (Bulgarian cuisine)

Boil young shoots of nettle, rub through a sieve. Fry flour in butter, dilute with nettle broth, mix with mashed potatoes, salt and cook for 5 minutes. When serving, put butter in the soup.
For 250 g of nettle - 3 tbsp. spoons of flour, 3 tbsp. tablespoons of butter.

Nettle dumplings (Caucasian cuisine)

Rinse young nettle leaves, finely chop. Fry onions in melted butter, mix with prepared nettles and salt. Knead the dough, roll it out, make dumplings with minced nettles and boil them in salted water. Before serving, season with sour cream and finely chopped herbs.
For 300 g of nettle - 260 g of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 30 g of onions, 20 g of ghee, pepper, salt to taste.

Stuffing for nettle pies

Pour young shoots of nettles with boiling water, drain the water, chop the nettles and mix with boiled rice. Add finely chopped eggs, salt, season with melted butter.
For 1 kg. nettles - 100 g of rice, 5 eggs, 60 g of oil, salt to taste.

Nettle scrambled eggs

Scald and chop young nettles. In a frying pan, lightly fry finely chopped onions, add prepared nettles, coriander greens, salt, melted butter to it, stew everything. Then pour in the eggs and fry until done.
For 150 g of nettle - 20 g of melted butter, 30 g of onion, 2 eggs, salt and coriander greens to taste.

Nettle can be added to any meat and fish dishes.
The list of dishes that can be prepared from nettle is huge - and all because it has been eaten for centuries, for centuries it has been considered one of the main healing products.

Collect nettles, eat and be healthy!