Stinging nettles never tasted so good.
No, this isn't an April Fool's joke; you really can make gnocchi with stinging nettles. You can also make soup with them, but I thought the idea of gnocchi sounded much more exciting.
Although when you're dealing with stinging nettles, maybe exciting isn't the thing you want to add. Which is why I recommend rubber gloves, at least for the first part of this recipe.
Here's how this works: First, put on rubber gloves. If you have no rubber gloves, maybe you should substitute spinach.
Then go into the back garden. If you have no back yard, look for a pesticide-free public area where stinging nettles grow. At this time of year, they're still tender young shoots (tender being a relative term).
Pick a good bucket-full (I used an 8-cup plastic measuring bowl). Most of what you have will be stems, and they will cook down a considerable amount, so be generous.
Still wearing rubber gloves, pick the leaves off the stems and drop them in a sink full of water. Swish them around to loosen the dirt. Still wearing your gloves, place them back in your measuring bowl and rinse them with water another time or two to make sure the dirt is removed. Wring out the water. You should have 2-3 cups of loosely packed leaves.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to boil. Pour the leaves into the boiling water, and remove your gloves. Set the timer for 5 minutes, and when it rings, scoop the nettle leaves from the water into a food processor container.
For the rest, keep reading. At this point, you have nothing to fear from the nettles. Trust me. They taste a little bit like turnip greens, only wilder. Not bad at all.
Nettle Gnocchi
5-6 medium sizedfloury potatoes (I used Kestral, from Waitrose)
2-3 cups stinging nettle leaves (see above)
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
Prick potatoes with a fork and place in a 400 degree oven. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, testing to see if they're done. No need to wrap them in foil.
Meanwhile, prepare the nettles as described above. In a food processor, wizz the blanched nettles until they're finely chopped. Set aside.
When the potatoes are done, let them cool until they can be handled. Remove the flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato ricer. Add the chopped nettles and stir to combine.
Combine the salt with the flour. Add flour 1/3 cup at a time to the potato mixture, stirring to combine. If the mixture is sticky, add more flour. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the dough and roll to a 1/2 inch wide length, on a lightly floured cutting board. (My board had too much flour, which clumped up on the cooked gnocchi like warts.)
With a sharp knife, cut into 1-inch lengths. Squeeze a bit in the middle or use a fork to indent them; your preference.
Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet. When you've turned all the potato mixture into gnocchi, place the sheet in the freezer for one hour.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. You will need a lot of water to drop the frozen gnocchi in, so that the water temperature doesn't lower too much.
When the gnocchi rise to the top (3-5 minutes), remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. You may have to work with two batches of gnocchi.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil and margarine in a large frying pan. Add the sage leaves, garlic and walnut pieces and cook lightly. When the gnocchi are done, add them to the pan and toss with the olive oil/sage mixture. Remove to a plate and serve immediately, with freshly grated black pepper if desired.
You could also serve this with a drizzle of walnut oil and/or vegan parmesan if you wish.
Note: if you want more precise instructions for making gnocchi, you can watch this video with Giancarlo Caldesi, a chef in London who I met at a cooking demonstration a few years ago. While the recipe is different—he uses egg—you can get the general idea. Also, if you have a favorite spinach gnocchi recipe, try it with stinging nettles instead. In these economic times, it's a great idea to take advantage of free food.