3ozgood feta cheesea thick slice stored in its whey, Bulgarian if you can find it
5oz1 medium tomato, diced ½ inch
4ozroughly half a cup English cucumber, quartered, seeds removed and diced ½ inch (if you only have regular cucumbers, peel them of their skin and seed them)
¼teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1Tablespoongood tasting salad oillike extra virgin or Smude’s Sunflower
Sliced fresh mintoptional
Fresh lemon juiceto taste
Instructions
If you’re sensitive to nettles, handle them with work gloves.
Harvest young nettles or nettle tops, immerse them in a sink of cold water and allow to soak for 5-10 minutes, agitating them with a tongs to help remove any grit, remnants of previous year’s stems, etc.
When the nettles are clean, remove them to drain, then spin dry. If you don’t have a salad spinner, let them drain in a colander in the sink for ten minutes, then lay them out on an absorbent towel, roll them up and store in a zip-top bag in the fridge until needed, up to 2-3 days ahead of time.
Making the salad
Put the nettles on a large cutting board, then, still wearing gloves if needed, roll over them with a rolling pin. You’re going to be doing this for about a minute.
Every few complete rolls, pause to fluff up the nettles to expose any sides that haven’t been crushed. Be thorough.
When the nettles are evenly flattened, grasp them into a ball, then cut into ¼ inch chiffonade strips with a large chef’s knife.
Transfer the nettles to a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, salt, pepper and mix around with your hands. Add the cucumber, tomato and feta and mint if using, then mix to combine.
Taste the seasoning, then adjust as needed for oil, acid and salt until it tastes good to you. Be careful with the salt as the feta is salty.
Serve the salad cool or room temperature with a little extra feta on top.