Growing up, the only stinging nettle dish I encountered was a soup. Just the smell of that…brew was enough to keep my mouth firmly shut. I didn’t even dare try it, knowing all too well that it would trigger an immediate gag reflex. As I slowly began exploring the joy of foraging in my adulthood, I made a few more tentative experiments with this ingredient, mostly in pasta and tortellini dishes. It’s hard to say whether the nettles contributed anything beyond their vibrant color (and of course a wealth of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins), so I continued pursuing my exploration with this remarkable plant. Until recently.
I stumbled upon a stinging nettle biscotti recipe by Ysanne Spevack that sparked my curiosity and changed my perspective entirely.
Ingredients you need
- 100g stinging nettle leaves
- 2 eggs 100g
- coconut sugar 160g
- almond flour 150g
- starch (I used potato starch)
- 5g baking powder
- 2.5g salt
- 45g almonds
- Lemon zest
- 15ml of any bitter (such as amaretto or orange bitters)
Foraging and Preparing the Nettles
Identifying nettles is remarkably easy. When gathering them, look for bright green leaves without any marks that appear fresh and vibrant. The younger the plant, the better it will taste—and the less it will sting. However, you should always wear thick gloves when collecting nettles. I was wearing latex gloves and still got stung multiple times!
Once you’ve harvested your nettles, separate the leaves from the stems and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Prepare an ice-cold water bath beforehand so you can quickly cool them down after boiling to prevent overcooking. This blanching process turns the nettles bright green and completely removes their sting, making them safe to handle and eat.
Place the blanched leaves on a dry towel and let them dry completely. While not strictly necessary, this step makes mixing the dough much easier.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) with no fan setting. Now let’s mix all the ingredients:
- Beat the eggs until they roughly double in volume
- Add the coconut sugar and mix for another 2-3 minutes until well combined
- Incorporate all the dry ingredients: almond flour, starch, baking powder, and salt
- Using a chiffonade slicing technique, cut the dried nettles into thin strips and add them to the mixture along with the almonds, your chosen bitter, and lemon zest
- Transfer the mixture to parchment paper and shape it into a loaf
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven, slice into individual biscotti, and bake for another 10 minutes
The verdict
While my children didn’t appreciate this dessert, claiming it looked and tasted “too healthy,” I found myself quite fond of it. It wasn’t overly sweet, nor was it something you’d mindlessly devour and later regret. On the contrary, having one piece after lunch was perfectly satisfying and curbed my craving for something sweet—which is exactly what I need from a treat.
Will I bake this again? Possibly, but not in the near future, as I have so many other experiments to try with nettles and other unusual flavor combinations. This recipe has certainly opened my eyes to the culinary potential of this often-overlooked foraged ingredient.
