Nettles Pesto Recipe

*photo by Artur Rutkowski

One way of enjoying nettles is in a pesto, in a recipe adapted from Annemarie Colbin's The Book of Whole Meals. Energetically, nettles cool the body and dry excess damp conditions, help to flush and alkalize the body of environmental and food toxins, and enrich Liver and Kidney Yin while building Blood (which in turn nourishes hair, nails and skin). The miso provides the probiotics that also are a staple of the Longevity Diet. 

Note: Remember to handle fresh (stinging) nettles with either gloves or tongs.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of nettles
• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 or 2 gloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of barley miso
• 1/2 cup walnuts (soaked for 4 hours and dried in a low oven until crisp to aid digestibility)

Directions

Nettles are prepared by blanching for 90 seconds in boiling and salted water, transferring with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water, draining, squeezing dry and chopping. Add the nettles to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients; process to desired consistency, adding a bit more olive oil as needed. 

Feel free to substitute raw pinenuts for walnuts, or garlic scapes for cloves, another fleeting gift of the spring season.