Homemade Nettle Pasta with Nettles and Asparagus

A recipe for gorgeously green homemade nettle pasta with a creamy nettle and asparagus sauce.

Nettles are my favorite spring food! I absolutely crave their dense nourishment and intoxicating green flavor. This nettle-on-nettle dish is as wonderful to look at as it is to eat.

This recipe serves 2, with some pasta leftover for another dish.

First, Make your Nettle Pasta

Ingredients

• 3 cups nettle leaves, loosely packed (use the early tender tops, or cut the leaves off woody stems)

• 1 large farm egg

• 1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour (00 flour works great)

• pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Blanch nettles for 2-3 minutes, depending on how young and fresh they are (younger, fresher needs less time.) Rinse nettles in cold water and squeeze out as much water as possible. (Keep the blanching water for sipping.)

2. Pulse the egg and nettles to a smooth pureed consistency in a food processor.

3. Add the flour and salt to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  The mixture should be crumbly, not sticky, and should hold together when you pinch it between your fingers.

4. Gather the mixture and press it into a ball. Put the ball on a floured surface and knead it for a few minutes until you notice it becoming smooth and elastic. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on the type of flour you used.

5. Wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour at room temperature.

6. Roll out the dough and cut into your favorite noodle size in a pasta machine, following the directions of your machine. (You can do it by hand as well, and there are plenty of directions on the internet for that.)

7. Set aside enough pasta for 2 servings, and put the rest in an airtight container in the fridge or let it dry.

Next, make the Creamy Nettle sauce

Ingredients

• 6 cups nettle leaves, packed but not tightly (use the early tender tops, or cut the leaves off woody stems)

• 1 1/2 cup of fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, woody ends discarded

• 2 shallots, medium sized, diced small

• 2 garlic cloves, medium sized, finely chopped

• 2 tbs butter

• olive oil

• 1/2 glass dry white wine

• 1 cup of heavy cream

• grated Parmesan to taste

• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blanch nettles for 2-3 minutes, depending on how young and fresh they are (younger, fresher needs less time.) Rinse nettles in cold water and squeeze out as much water as possible. (Keep the blanching water for sipping.) Chop finely with a knife.

2. In a cold saute pan add butter, shallot, garlic, and a little olive oil. Bring to medium heat and cook until the shallot becomes translucent. Add the asparagus, and stir until asparagus and shallot begin to soften.

3. Add the wine and let it cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the nettles, and turn down to simmer for a few minutes, stirring often.

4. Stir in the cream and let simmer low for 5 minutes. Add Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.

Put the dish together

1. While cooking the sauce, bring a pot of water to rapid boil. Add enough salt to make it taste of the sea. Bring to a boil again and cook the pasta according to the directions of your pasta maker. (Most fresh pasta will only take 2-3 min. to cook.)

2. When pasta is al dente, reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

3. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Add some of the reserved pasta water, using more or less depending on how thick the sauce is. Let everything heat through, coating the pasta well with the sauce.

4. Serve immediately.

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