Nettle tortelli with walnut sauce, beautiful and delicious. Filled with pan-cooked nettles, chopped walnuts and ricotta. A hearty first course to serve with a creamy walnut sauce or simply with a drizzle of sage oil.
Today we talk about nettles with the friends from the Herbs and Flowers on the Plate column. You will find their recipes at the end of the article.
I wanted to prepare these tortelli, a bit large so that in the end they were more like cappellacci. This time in a vegetarian version; if you want to turn the recipe into vegan tortelli, I recommend egg-free fresh pasta and instead of ricotta use a good tofu. You can take inspiration from the tofu and radicchio ravioli recipe.
And now to the protagonists, the nettles:
At the beginning of spring it is still a bit early to find nettles; the best period is late April and May because it is important to harvest them before they flower. How do you distinguish the false nettle from Urtica dioica (the true nettle)? The true nettle has hairs that break off when accidentally touched and release an irritating liquid — unique in our latitudes for this property. Urtica dioica can reach about 39–47 inches in height, which also distinguishes it from the harmless relative.
Let’s not give up harvesting them; nettles have valuable medicinal and healing properties.
Nettle is particularly rich in potassium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium. Its culinary and therapeutic uses were already known in ancient Greece, when by tradition nettles were to be collected before the arrival of spring. Nettle leaves contain good amounts of copper and zinc, making their consumption suitable for those who wish to strengthen nails and hair. They contain a lot of calcium and are therefore very useful in premenopause; together with sesame, broccoli and almonds they are a privileged source of this mineral.
Wear gloves, take the small stem from bottom to top, and cut only the shoots with two or at most four small leaves. It is recommended to use only the young leaves of nettles, because if you harvest everything, the calcium carbonate contained in large leaves could irritate the kidneys over time.
How can we use nettles in the kitchen?
Most of the time nettles are blanched or sautéed, as we do today in the recipe for nettle tortelli.
We can use dried nettles to prepare nettle infusions, which, as mentioned, strengthen hair and nails, remineralize and also have anti-inflammatory properties.
For those following a detox diet, nettles can be passed through a juicer or extractor to prepare a good juice, also useful after sports.
Here are some recipes with nettles:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 564.41 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 43.62 (g) of which sugars 2.78 (g)
- Proteins 19.49 (g)
- Fat 35.47 (g) of which saturated 3.81 (g)of which unsaturated 2.76 (g)
- Fibers 6.38 (g)
- Sodium 301.22 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the nettle tortelli
- 200 g all-purpose flour (or for fresh pasta)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon semolina (for dusting the work surface)
- 200 g nettles (young leaves (about 7 oz))
- 100 g goat ricotta (about 3.5 oz (about 1/2 cup))
- 30 g grated Parmesan (about 1 oz (about 1/4 cup))
- to taste sea salt
- to taste pepper
- 2 walnut halves (chopped)
- 100 g walnuts (about 3.5 oz (≈ 1 cup))
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
Tools
- 1 Rolling pin
Steps
Let’s begin by preparing the fresh pasta
Pour onto a work surface a little less than the 200 g of flour, make a well with the heel of your hand and pour in the whole eggs.
With a fork begin to mix, gently combining and then continue kneading with movements from the outside in, adding a tablespoon of oil. Continue by hand adding the remaining flour.
In about ten minutes you will have a smooth dough, an elastic and soft ball. Flatten it slightly, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Wash the nettle leaves wearing gloves, being careful not to get stung. Blanch the nettle leaves for a few minutes in boiling water, drain and remove the excess water.
In a pan pour a drizzle of oil, add the nettles, salt, pepper, sauté to season and dry for a few minutes.
Chop the two walnut halves, mix with the goat ricotta, Parmesan and the well-dried nettles. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After the half hour, take the tortelli dough, cut off a piece and keep the rest covered in the bowl, then begin rolling it out with a rolling pin. Use a pasta machine if you prefer. Quickly form strips to then prepare the large tortelli.
Cut the pasta into squares. Place a little filling in the center of each square. Lift one side and fold to form a triangle. Press lightly on the edges.
Fold the two side edges inward, giving a slight pinch, then wrap the tortellone around your finger and pinch. Prepare all the tortelli and lay them on a plate well dusted with semolina, keeping them covered with a kitchen towel.
Also prepare a very simple walnut sauce:
Finely chop the walnuts in a food processor. In a pan add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the walnuts and stir, adding some water until you have a very smooth sauce. Set aside.
Bring salted water with a splash of oil to a boil. When it boils, gently add the tortelli and cook for 7–8 minutes, or less depending on the thickness of the pasta. Drain and serve with the walnut sauce.
Tips from Timo and Lentils
If you don’t want to eat the tortelli right away, store them tightly in a container well dusted with semolina in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them. I preferred to dress them with a simple creamy walnut sauce, but also try the classic walnut sauce — you’ll love it.
Be careful with how much filling you put: mine ended up more like cappellacci than tortelli because they were quite large. Also pay attention to the thickness of the pasta; if it’s too thick it will be hard to cook, especially where you seal it, and if it’s too thin it can easily break during cooking. Always dust the work surface well with flour or semolina.
If you’re not sure how to shape the tortelli, it’s easier to make them as ravioli using the same procedure and ingredients.
Here are the nettle recipes from:
Tiziana
Elisa: recipes with nettles
Miria: Nettle and ricotta ravioli
Marialuisa
Paola: Nettle tagliatelle
