Stinging Nettle and Wild Garlic Fritters
/By Mel Evans
Today I am going to share with you a simple Spring recipe using foraged ingredients. We love making Stinging Nettle and Wild Garlic Fritters in the woods at this time of year and below are some of the comments we have had from children about them;-
They look disgusting, but they actually taste really nice
They look a lot like a squashed frog, but they taste really yummy,
Great reviews indeed! In all seriousness, every time we make these parents are amazed at the children’s’ willingness to try them. Even the most conservative eaters can’t resist them. As I have mentioned previously, involving children in the whole process seems to be the key in getting them to try new things. That and the irresistible draw of campfire cooking.
The first job is to locate the Wild Garlic and the Stinging Nettles. Stinging Nettles should be really easy to come by and you should be able to find some close to home. Once picked they should be blanched in a pan of boiling water, roughly chopped and added to a bowl. More information about foraging for Nettles can be found in our previous post about Egg Blowing and Nettle Omelettes.
Like Stinging Nettles, Wild Garic is easily recognisable and hard to mistake. It has soft slender leaves that grow up to 7cm wide and 25cm long, and an unmistakable garlic/onion smell. It is very common in damp woods and country lanes and later in the season it blooms with delicate white flowers. If your lucky you might know of a patch close to home that can be collected on a walk. If not, how about foraging around the kitchen to find something else to add to the nettles? Onions, leeks, curry powder, cumin seeds are all credible options.
Once you have mixed your blanched and chopped Nettles with chopped Wild Garlic (or store cupboard ingredients), You can start adding flour along with a pinch of salt. Add a small amount of flour at a time and mix in. The dampness of the nettles should help create a sort of batter, but you can add a splash of water if needed.
Add just enough flour to hold the other ingredients together. Too much and you will create a bread dough.
Add a spoonful of the mixture to a hot frying pan with a little oil in and brown on both sides. You can squash them down with a spatula as they cook to make the patty shapes.
We love to cook these on an open fire close to where we have harvested the Nettles and Wild Garlic. The recipe works just as well in a kitchen though.
If you give this a go at home, make sure to send us your ‘reviews’.
