Nettle Pasta

To make nettle pasta you will need:

    2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour
    2 eggs
    8 oz. of fresh nettle

The first step is to weigh (or estimate) and roughly chop your nettle. Be sure to wear gloves for this process since the nettles will still sting until they are cooked or dried. Then…

    Put the nettles into a large steamer pot and steam for 15 – 20 minutes, until they are well wilted and the sting is completely gone.
    Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the cooked nettles. You can do this through a colander in the sink, or into a bowl if you would like to preserve and drink the extremely nutritious nettle juice.
    Put the nettles and 2 eggs into a blender and puree them.
    Put 2 1/2 cups of flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle of the flour.
    Pour the nettle / egg mixture into the well and mix together with the flour to make a smooth dough of even color and texture. If the dough mixture is sticky at all, add a bit more flour.
    Cover your ball of dough with a damp towel and let it set for 10 to 15 minutes.
    Cut off a small portion of the dough and roll out on a floured surface. You want to roll the dough as thin as you can (a dimes width or less). Cut the rolled pasta into strips. Continue this process until all the dough is rolled and cut.
    Add the cut pasta to boiling water and cook for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pasta).
    Drizzle with melted butter and garlic and enjoy!