RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Nettles

Stinging nettles deserve their name – they have tiny little hair-like stingers on the leaves and stems that make touching them very unpleasant. But never fear, cooking removes the stingy stuff and leaves only the woodsy-tasting nettle-leaves behind. Just handle fresh nettles with gloves and all will be well. It is easy to cook and it beats both spinach and broccoli for vitamins and minerals.

Nettles
Nettles

, 19.03.2017, 15:53

Stinging nettles deserve their name – they have tiny little hair-like stingers on the leaves and stems that make touching them very unpleasant. But never fear, cooking removes the stingy stuff and leaves only the woodsy-tasting nettle-leaves behind. Just handle fresh nettles with gloves and all will be well. It is easy to cook and it beats both spinach and broccoli for vitamins and minerals.



Nettles thrust themselves up from the barely warm ground as early as February then grow right through the spring and summer. If you’re going to eat nettles then the fresh, young growth of March and April is the crop to go for. Pick only the tips – the first four or six leaves on each spear – and you will get the very best of the plant.



The flavour is somewhere between spinach, cabbage and broccoli, with a sort of slight, earthy tingle in the mouth. High in minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, nettles are also an excellent source of vitamin C, B complex vitamins and beta-carotene. The plant also eases asthma and chest colds, and its high iron levels can alleviate anaemia and poor circulation.



Surprisingly enough, nettles even contain 10 percent protein, more than any other vegetable, and thus contain high levels of easily absorbable amino acids. No wonder these greens were used in several types of recipes to cure weakness, illness and allergies in several cultures around the world!



There is a wide variety of dishes that have nettles at their centre.



You can just make tea out of them, which is recommended for a variety of ailments, or simply for their nutritional value. You can also blanch them and use them in many dishes. A popular one is rice pilaf, to which you can also add mushrooms, as they go quite well with nettles. You can also prepare a fancy, but very simple cream of nettles, French style, after the model of mushroom or leek cream.



If you happen to enjoy a spinach pie, as the Greeks are so fond of making, you can substitute nettles for the spinach, or mix the two for the filling. The same pie can be made by mixing into the filling some sweet cheese, such as ricotta, or other soft unripe cheese, which complements well the slight sharpness of the nettles. If you like pickled wild mushrooms, honey fungus with a side of nettles is quite a delicacy accompanied by fresh onion and garlic. It is also a great side dish for a sweet river fish with white meat, alongside polenta.


Enjoy!

pulpa-de-miel-foto-m-chirita-rri
The Cooking Show Monday, 06 May 2024

Lamb steak for Easter

Lamb is a must on the Easter table, so here is one of the many recipes you can use if interested in cooking such a dish. For this recipe you will...

Lamb steak for Easter
Easter cake Romanian style
The Cooking Show Sunday, 05 May 2024

Easter cake Romanian style

It’s Easter for Christian orthodox and Greek Catholic believers in Romania, so today we bring you the recipe of a staple this time of the year: the...

Easter cake Romanian style
Chicken dishes in rural cuisine
The Cooking Show Friday, 02 June 2023

Chicken dishes in rural cuisine

Chicken-based dishes vary extensively across regions of...

Chicken dishes in rural cuisine
Lamb dishes
The Cooking Show Monday, 17 April 2023

Lamb dishes

Lamb is a staple dish around Easter, and today's segment brings you two favorite...

Lamb dishes
The Cooking Show Sunday, 16 April 2023

Traditional Easter dishes

Lamb soup, lamb stew and other traditional dishes Romanians eat on Easter...

Traditional Easter dishes
The Cooking Show Friday, 14 April 2023

Lent dishes

Today's suggestions are staple dishes in households observing...

Lent dishes
The Cooking Show Wednesday, 12 April 2023

Lamb dishes

Lamb is a staple dish around Easter, and today's segment brings you two favorite...

Lamb dishes
The Cooking Show Wednesday, 12 April 2023

Lent dishes

Today's suggestions are staple dishes in households observing...

Lent dishes

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company