| Monday, April 16, 2007 |
| A Big Yes to Stinging Nettle: Benefits |
There are plenty of benefits to nettle.
My grandfather had rheumatics and his hands were swollen. He was diving his hand in nettles and it always helped. People in the country do that a lot. I stepped twice barefoot on nettles and the sting was gone two days later.
What nettle is good for? Tea from it is perfect for eczemas, used as cataplasms. Or boiled nettle used as cataplasm. It's also a great diuretic. It can reduce the symptoms of hay fever. It can loosen congestions when you have bronchitis.
Don't overdo it though, just like you shouldn't overdo anything.
You want a traditional Romanian recipe for nettles?
Here you go:
baby nettles - as many as you can gather
heavy cream
some milk
some flour or amidon (from corn or flour, whichever you find)
garlic
salt, pepper
oil
1. Wash the nettles (wear gloves)
2. Boil them for about 7-8 minutes. Drain them. They are not stingy anymore, so you can touch.
3. Puree them or mash them, and add them to a pot to which you have already added 2 spoons of oil.
4. Warm them again, add 2-3 gloves mashed garlic (or garlic paste).
5. Mix separately some heavy cream with milk and one spoon of all-purpose flour, until mixture is smooth.
6. Add salt and pepper to your nettles, and also the previous milky mix.
7. Continue to stir over low heat until the food becomes denser and it starts boiling.
If you feel like adding anything extra, be my guest.
Possible sidedish: poached eggs.
That's how we have nettles in Romania.
They are mostly cooked like spinach, so whatever you can do with spinach, you can do with boiled nettles. The taste, when boiled, is also similar.Labels: diuretic, nettle, recipe |
posted by Darquette @ 11:51 AM  |
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