Nettle risotto: a recipe for a first course with a unique flavor, thanks also to pepper and cloves.

NETTLE RISOTTO RECIPE

With spring comes the opportunity to collect wild herbs and make them the protagonists of the kitchen.nettle It has strong detoxifying and refreshing properties, as well as being rich in many mineral salts and vitamins. So why not take advantage of it? Risotto This is just one of the many tasty uses. Let's see how to prepare it.

ALSO READ: How to heal yourself with nettle, all the health benefits and a recipe for a nutritious soup

NETTLE RISOTTO

Ingredients

(For 4 people)

• 320 grams of risotto rice
• 10 (approximately) fresh nettle stems
• 1 shallot
• 4 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Parmesan crust
• Salt and pepper
• 1 knob of butter for creaming
• 2 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Preparation

• Prepare the Parmesan broth by boiling the rind in about a litre of water, with the addition of a couple of peppercorns, two cloves and a bay leaf.
• Detach Remove the nettle leaves from the stems and soak them in cold water. Protect your hands with gloves. Continue to rinse until the water is clear, considering that after the second rinse the leaves no longer sting, and you can work without gloves.
• Leek drain the nettles in a colander, collecting the water.
• Chop Add the shallot to the pan with the oil and sauté over low heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water. The longer you can cook this step, allowing the shallot to soften considerably, the better the risotto will be.
• Meanwhile, chop le leaves of nettles, and when you're ready to start cooking the risotto, add them to the soffritto. Let it brown.
• To pour Toast the rice until the grains are glossy, then cook it by adding the nettle water and then the strained Parmesan broth. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the rice is ready, stir in a knob of butter and serve immediately, adding grated Parmesan on the side.

An advice

• Like all wild herbs, collect nettles in uncontaminated areas, away from passing cars and, if possible, people. Prefer younger, more tender ones. Protect your hands with sturdy gloves, such as rubber ones: latex gloves are too thin and can irritate the skin just as easily.
• The ideal is to use the fresh nettles, but if you have the chance to collect a lot of them, you can dry them in the oven at 90°C or in the air, protected between two cardboard trays like those found in pastry shops. They will last a long time.
• Il Parmesan broth It's an excellent and quick solution to choose when cooking risotto.

OUR NETTLE-BASED RECIPES:

• Nettle flan on creamed potatoes: a delicious recipe with a bold flavor, perfect as an appetizer.
• Nettle pasta with cannellini beans, a tasty vegetarian recipe that's easy to make.
• Savory Nettle Pie: A Tasty Recipe Enriched with Ricotta