RECIPES

Usually pigeonholed as weeds, nettles and dandelions have some powerful benefits to offer. The definition of an herb is any plant used for its medicinal and or culinary purpose or its fragrance according to Webster's dictionary. Unfortunately, dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), a member of the aster family, are commonly thought of as a nuisance weed and something undesirable. The flowers are one of the first food sources for bees in the spring. For humans, dandelions are used for both food and medicine, and is actually a biennial or perennial herb.

Dandelion greens sprout in early spring and before the flowers appear harvest the tender young greens; or you can purchase seeds and grow these ‘herbs’ in a container. When the flowers begin to form at the base of the dandelion, they are too bitter to eat. Dandelions can either be left to soak in salted water overnight, to remove the bitterness, and then be boiled like spinach( sprinkle them with balsamic vinegar for a delicious hot greens side dish) or you can just rinse in salted water before you use them in a pot to cook further.

Fresh dandelion leaves contain calcium, protein, fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, Vitamin C, and are high in Vitamin A. When dried, dandelion leaves are also high in potassium and when compared to broccoli and spinach surpass these in overall nutritional value.

Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are also considered to be a nuisance weed however, once again, it is the herb of choice for healthful benefits. Nettle leaves are said to have excellent blood building and mild diuretic properties. Dried nettle leaves are reported to increase blood hemoglobin. You can make a spring tonic that will help stimulate blood circulation and help with chronic skin ailments. Some folks even use nettle leaf tea to help with eczema.

Nettle leaf is a rich source of antioxidants needed for reducing the number of free radicals in your system. Nettles are also rich in Vitamin C, which boosts the immune system and may even provide protection against various types of cancer. Vitamin A is also found in nettle leaves, and many scientists believe this vitamin is necessary for eye health. Nettle provides a wide range of other health benefits including reducing joint pain and inflammation and counteracting seasonal allergies; nettles also contain a compound called

UD-1 that seems to act similarly to insulin in the body. More research is needed, however scientists believe that nettle can help control blood sugar in people with diabetes. 

Note: when dealing with nettles always wear gloves and wash all greens in the sink or a tub with salt and water. Ensure to pick the tops and new leaves of your nettle plant; this will give you the best flavouring. Pick these in early spring or late winter depending on where you live.

We found this amazing Dandelion and Nettle soup recipe from Tom Hunt, award winning chef, food writer and climate change activist and author.

Delicious…Thank you Tom!

Dandelion and Nettle Soup

Serves 4

• 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Onions (your choice) sliced
• 1 – 2 ( 160 grams) green leek tops
• 1 small carrot grated
• 3 garlic cloves peeled
• 3 ( 500 grams) medium potatoes cubed
• 1 liter water or stock
• 100 grams of nettles
• 30 grams of dandelion
• 3 parsley stalks (optional)
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh black pepper to taste
• * crisps for decoration

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan over medium heat.
2. Add onions, leek tops and carrot.
3. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft.
4. Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes.
5. Add the potatoes and the water
6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat.
7. Simmer and cover with a lid.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
9. Stir in the nettles, dandelion leaves and parsley stalks at the last moment and blend immediately either with a stick blender, or in batches with a blender, until perfectly smooth.
10. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
11. *Top with dandelion and nettle crisps if desired. Crisps: Wash the leaves and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 150 degrees/Gas 2 for around 20 minutes or until they dry out ( varies with thickness)

Enjoy! Next time you are in your garden and ready to pluck those dandelions out, and cut down those stinging nettles, stop and think about using these super green herbs in your next dish…and we hope you enjoy this great recipe from Tom for his amazing Dandelion and Nettle Soup.

 From Tom Hunt’s book Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet

Visit Toms website at tomsfeast.com

Along with peanut butter and jelly, chocolate, and macaroni and cheese, bread and butter is one of those things that I could quite conceivably live on for an extended period of time. Not much can beat a warm, fresh hunk of bread slathered with soft butter. For most of my life, butter was always butter. Except for when my grandma would sneak a leftover stick of margarine onto her butter dish. I could totally tell it was different and I was not happy. Ick! Other than that, I never knew anything other than regular butter.

That all changed at some point years ago when I was eating at a restaurant and a basket of bread was delivered to the table with what looked to be regular ol’ butter. Ah, but it was not your average butter! It was distinctly sweet, and when we asked what it was, the server said it was honey butter. My mind was blown and my taste buds threw a party. After having it at a couple of other places, I finally realized I could make this fabulous stuff at home, and not just honey, either. Pretty much any flavor I wanted.

Compound butter is the perfect way to jazz up dinner rolls or your traditional piece of toast in the morning. It’s really easy to make compound butter, and only takes a few minutes. Below is a quick instructional on how to do it, along with recipes for my three favorite compound butters (cinnamon-vanilla, herbed, and honey).

For this tutorial, I am using my herbed butter, but you’ll follow the exact same method for any type of butter you choose to make. First (and most importantly), you want to start with really soft butter. Let it sit out until it’s completely softened at room temperature; the softer the butter is, the easier it will be to incorporate your add-ins. Cut up the butter in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, your herbs or other flavors, and then fold and mix it together with a rubber spatula until everything is evenly distributed.

Next, dump the butter out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, wrapping it tightly and sealing the ends.

At this point you can use the butter, but I recommend refrigerating it for at least 2 hours so the flavors have some time to meld together.

Below are all three of the butters – herbed, cinnamon-vanilla, and honey. I am tempted to slather the vanilla-cinnamon butter on everything. It makes everything taste like a piece of cinnamon bread (or a cinnamon roll)! The herb and honey are fabulous for dinner rolls (hello, jazzed up holiday table!) or just plain old bread-and-butter (my speed). I have included the recipe for each variation below… be sure to try them all out and share your favorite!

Are there any other flavored butters you enjoy?

COMPOUND BUTTER

servings1 CUP OF COMPOUND BUTTER

prep10 MINUTES

chilling time2 HOURS

total2 HOURS 10 MINUTES

course: CONDIMENT

cuisine: AMERICAN

author: MICHELLE

A general recipe for creating compound butter - use your favorite combination of ingredients!

INGREDIENTS:

• ½
  cup
  unsalted butter
  (very soft)
• Pinch
  of salt

FOR HERBED BUTTER:

• 1
  tablespoon
  minced rosemary
• 1
  tablespoon
  minced sage
• 1
  tablespoon
  minced thyme
• Or, 3 tablespoons of your favorite herbs

FOR HONEY BUTTER:

• 1
  tablespoon
  honey

FOR VANILLA-CINNAMON BUTTER:

• 1
  vanilla bean
  (split lengthwise, seeds scraped out and added to the butter, pod discarded)
• 1
  teaspoon
  ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the softened butter in a medium bowl, cut into pieces and add a pinch of salt.
2. Add your herbs or flavorings and use a rubber spatula to fold and mix until the add-ins are completely incorporated and evenly distributed throughout the butter.
3. Transfer the butter to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape and roll it into a log about 6 inches in length. Twist the plastic wrap at the ends to seal. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. (Alternatively, you can transfer the butter to a small bowl or ramekin and cover with plastic wrap.)

RECIPE NOTES:

Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe

NUTRITION:

CALORIES: 611KCAL

FAT: 62G

SATURATED FAT: 39G

CHOLESTEROL: 162MG

SODIUM: 29MG

POTASSIUM: 28MG

CARBOHYDRATES: 16G

FIBER: 2G

SUGAR: 11G

PROTEIN: 1G

VITAMIN A: 2155%

VITAMIN C: 8.3%

CALCIUM: 94%

IRON: 1.7%