Malfatti is an Italian dish used as a substitute for pasta.
We tend to pick only the very tips of the nettles as they are the tastiest part. We use a few different areas and pick regularly. Picking the tips delays the flowering process and encourages new growth. We’ve found that we can still pick new tips right through until September time.
Ingredients
- 200g of blanched nettles
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Bunch of ramson leaves
- Flat leaf parsley
- ¾ cup of parmesan
- 1 & ¼ cups of breadcrumbs
- 4 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
- Lemon juice
How to make nettle malfatti
- Fry the onions for a few minutes
- Add the ramsons and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes
- Add the nettles and parsley and season to taste
- Cook for 3 or 4 minutes
- Leave to cool and chop the mixture finely
- Whisk the eggs into the mixture
- Add half of the parmesan and all of the breadcrumbs
- Rest the mixture for ½ hour
- Take a good tsp of the mixture and roll it between the palms of the hand into a torpedo shape about 1 ½ inches long
- Boil for a few minutes, until the torpedoes bobs to the top
- Remove and lightly fry in butter
- Add the lemon juice and the rest of the parmesan
You can see lots of photos from our ‘Wildfoods and Woodland Cooking’ courses on our Facebook page.
