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.

Related posts:

• Stinging Nettle Soup
• Barley Casserole with Mallow, tomato, and basil
• Summer Foraging - Purslane