Jamie Oliver has found the perfect recipe to use up free ingredients many people can find in their garden - stinging nettles! Instead of reaching for the weed killer, the celebrity chef suggests putting them to good use in what he describes as an "outrageously delicious" pasta dish.
River gave dad Jamie a helping hand in the kitchen
While it may seem like an unusual ingredient, Jamie revealed that his whole family was a huge fan of the end result, even his son River, 3, who insisted on giving her dad a helping hand in the kitchen. "Obviously you've got to be in the mood to try something new but everyone in my family loved eating them. Even baby River smashed them and helped make them for a short while," he said.
Sharing several pictures of the picking, assembling and cooking process on Instagram, Jamie explained that ravioli is not the only dish you can use the nettles in. "People might think eating stinging nettles is weird but folks have enjoyed them for millennia.... think turbo spinach! Tasty and nutritious....amazing in soups, stews, lasagna and even curries!" If you can't help but associate stinging nettles with bad childhood memories, then you're not alone. The 44-year-old continued by revealing he, too, suffered bad experiences with the painful plants as a child. Speaking of one of his own memories, he said: "Mine was crashing my scooter into a ditch full of nettles ouch!!! Pain is an understatement!!"
READ: Jamie Oliver shares hilarious hair transformation photos with son River
Keep reading to find out how to use up easily accessible ingredients amid the COVID-19 crisis - plus, it removes some of the painful culprits from the garden so you and your children are less likely to experience a nasty sting.
Jamie Oliver's stinging nettle ravioli
INGREDIENTS
- Stinging nettles
- Leeks
- Butter
- 1/4 nutmeg
- British farmhouse cheese
- Fresh thin pasta sheets
INSTRUCTIONS
- To pick the nettles, choose the centre smaller nettle leaves (wearing gloves), wash them and set aside.
- Chop leeks and cook the white part slowly in a pan with a knob of butter and the nutmeg for about 20 minutes.
- Add the nettles and cook for another 10 minutes until dark green, then season with a good handful of broken up British farmhouse cheeses.
- Chop it all up and add a teaspoon inside a thin sheet of pasta to make a ravioli. Boil for a few minutes until cooked.
- Toss the cooked raviolo in butter and serve.
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