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    Home » Leafy Greens

    Stinging Nettle Pesto with Pumpkinseeds

    Published: Jan 17, 2021 Modified: Jan 9, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

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    Pesto is a tried and true stinging nettle recipe. With a little oil, parmesan and a handful of nuts or seeds, tp turn a common edible weed into something delicious. As nettles are rich in health benefits, a little cheese and oil helps the medicine go down, so to speak. 

    Foraged stinging nettle and pumpkinseed pesto
    Adding pumpkinseeds and their oil is my version of the classic nettle pesto recipe.

    Harvesting

    People tend to exaggerate the sting when talking about picking stinging nettle. The stinger is actually a trichome filled with formic acid similar to a bee sting. But, when nettles are young, I often pick them without using gloves. As the nettles get older their sting will intensify.

    Don't be afraid of them. Chances are you'll get stung when handling them, and it isn't that bad. Wood nettles are a different story, and I always wear gloves when handling them.

    Common stinging nettles (Urtica dioica)
    Common stinging nettles can be foraged or purchased at farmers markets in the Spring.

    The nuts or seeds

    I usually make some nettle pesto every year, but it's a little different than typical pesto. Toasted pine nuts are delicious, but expensive. I figure as long as I'm breaking tradition not using basil, I shouldn't have to be bound by other constraints either. So, I typically make nettle pesto with mild-flavored seeds.

    Sunflower seeds are great, but pumpkinseeds are probably my favorite for nettle pesto as they contain a small amount of green. This helps to underline the earthy green color of nettles. Adding pumpkinseed oil brings it to another level, but it's optional, and you can use olive oil if you like. 

    Steaming nettles
    Steamed common nettles

    Stop Blanching Nettles

    Yes, you read that right. Typically, most people will bring a large pot of water a boil and blanch nettles, then refresh in ice water. It works ok, but if the nettles aren't cooked enough, your pesto will be stringy and tough.

    If you love the flavor of nettles as much as I do, you must try making pesto from steamed nettles. As there's no flavor lost to boiling water, steamed nettles will have a stronger flavor than blanched nettles.

    Common stinging nettles will have more of their natural aquatic flavor, while wood nettles will have a strong perfume that reminds me of apple blossoms. Both nettles will make a great pesto. 

    Storing

    Like all of it's cousins, pesto made from nettle leaves will keep in the fridge for a month as long as it's covered with oil. But, I usually save some by freezing in ice cube trays. After the pesto is frozen into cubes, I remove it and place in a resealable vacuum bag. From there, you can remove the pesto as needed for cooking.

    Using 

    As there aren't any aromatic herbs in it, the flavor of nettle pesto is much more green and vegetal. In the kitchen, you can use stinging nettle pesto anywhere you'd use typical pesto. You can also serve it as a dip or a spread on bread.

    foraged vegetable soupe aux pistou
    Use the pesto as a garnish to spring vegetable soups.

    Think of it as half pesto, half vegetable. One of my favorite things to do with it is to spread a generous layer on top of a pizza crust. It's also good spread on sandwiches, and just eaten on toast or crackers. 

    Spooning a dollop onto soup is traditional too. Of course, you can also use it as a simple pasta sauce, tossed with your favorite noodles in a frying pan. It's particularly good with Fazzoletti: the Handkerchief Pasta.

    More Nettle Recipes

    I have a lot of great ways to use nettles on this site. Here's a few more I recommend you try, and a link to the archive with everything I've made over the years.

    • Classic Stinging Nettle Soup
    • Steamed Nettles
    • Turkish Nettles with Cheese (Isirgan Bugulamasi)
    Stinging Nettle Recipes
    Foraged stinging nettle and pumpkinseed pesto
    Foraged stinging nettle and pumpkinseed pesto
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Stinging Nettle-Pumpkinseed Pesto

    Pesto made from stinging nettles or wood nettles, with pumpkinseeds, parmesan, and pumpkinseed or olive oil. A great riff on a classic you can use to enhance many meals. Makes about 1.5 cups.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: American, Italian American
    Keyword: Stinging Nettles, Wood Nettles
    Servings: 8 Servings
    Calories: 152kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • 1 Food processor
    • 1 Spatula
    • 1 large pot
    • 1 Steamer basket

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz fresh nettles You can also use nettle tops, but they will take longer to cook.
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus a few scrapes of zest
    • ¼ cup light olive oil see note
    • ¼ cup pumpkinseed oil see note
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan
    • 1-2 large cloves of garlic depending on your preference
    • 2 generous tablespoons pumpkinseeds toasted

    Instructions

    • Grind the pumpkinseeds medium-fine in a spice grinder and reserve. Steam the nettles for 2-3 minutes until wilted and tender (taste them to check, older ones will take longer).
    • Cool, press on a paper towel to remove water, and chop them fine. Crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife, chop coarsely and reserve. Mix the oils.
    • In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients except the oils.
    • Pulse to break the mixture up in the food processor. Add the oils in a steady, slow stream until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a mason jar, top with ¼ inch of oil and refrigerate. The pesto can also be frozen.
    • Nettle pesto has a more vegetal flavor than ramp or basil pesto. Think of it as something you can use as a dip or spread in larger amounts than traditional pesto. Basil pesto is is more of a seasoning.

    Video

    Notes

    You can substitute ½ cup extra virgin olive oil for the pumpkinseed and other oil. I use a combination of oils here as pumpkinseed oil is expensive. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2oz | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 597IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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