Friday, March 15, 2013

Non-Dairy Stinging Nettle and Garlic Quiche


Winter is over and the nettles are not looking so hot. Now is your last chance! Find a shady spot with some spunky looking nettles and (carefully) rescue them. I've heard they have health benefits, but I think of them as a free alternative to spinach.

I got the idea for this dish while listening to the February 1, 2013 episode of the Good Food Market Report. My husband and I enjoy listening to the show together and chuckling at all the different varieties of a vegetable or terms like source - "You mean buy?" In this episode Ria Wilson, Sous Chef at Sqirl Cafe, was discussing how she 'sources' the greens for her Green Garlic & Nettle Frittata. But buying stinging nettles? This gave me quite a laugh. I've cooked with nettles before, but never really valued them until I heard about a chef paying good money for them. I was also happy to hear that my sprouted garlic could have a bright future. 


The next day I planted my already sprouting garlic in my barren window boxes. (It's doing wonderfully, and I've used it a few times.)

Then I pulled on my gloves, and took a little urban foraging walk around my building. When picking nettles, you may want to double-glove. And be extra careful of the larger thorns on the stems.

Ingredients:

  • aprox. 2 cups nettles
  • 1/2 cup soy milk (or liquid of your choice)
  • 4-5 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs, separated
  • 2-3 Tbsps mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic or green garlic
  • 2 tsps cooking oil (for baking dish)
  • nutritional yeast (optional)
  • salt

  1. Give the nettles a nice bath in water and vinegar. 
  2. Beat together eggs, soy milk, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, mayonnaise, salt, and nutritional yeast (to your taste).
  3. Finely chop garlic and add to the mixture.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 F / 170 C. 
  5. Generously grease baking dish and sprinkle with a thin layer of bread crumbs
  6. Dry nettles in a salad spinner or squeeze with a towel.
  7. Coarsely chop the nettles and mix into the batter.
  8. Pour the mixture into the dish and top with more bread crumbs.
  9. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and firm.
  10. Top with more nutritional yeast and serve.
ALTERNATIVE: Fry onions. Mix them into the batter. Cook the quiche/frittata/pashtida in the same pan you used for the onions.

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2 comments:

  1. These are some great cooking ideas. I need to find a good place to findoutdoor cooking equipment. Do you know of a good place to buy that kind of stuff?

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  2. hi yosefa,
    i came upon your blog and i'm excited to try foraging for stinging nettle and make your quiche recipe.the few times that i've bought spinach here it was tough and/or bitter.plus i have tons of it it in my yard.
    my question to you is do nettles need to be examined for bugs?the mallow that i've seen is infested with bugs and bug "holes".
    thanks,sally

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