"From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king." J.R.R. Tolkein
I don't tend to bask as a general rule but I can't help myself. This gloriously sunny Easter weekend has me turned into a puddle of melted butter. I can't remember my to do list all of a sudden. Here in Ganges I have a siege mentality as the ferry disgorges visitors and I yield by stocking up well in advance. The market is in full swing, the daffodils are in sunny glory, and the nettles have been up awhile. I have already tried some new recipes. Below is the Nettle Crepe recipe from my cookbook "Memento; A Coastal Recipe Treasure". Nettles are a wonderful source of iron, the tips are best, and don't forget the rubber gloves. Excuse me I must get back to shameless basking and could someone please pass the chocolate bunny?Nettle Crepes (serves 2 - 4)
Crepes: 2 c. flour; 4 eggs, 4 1/2 c. milk; 4 tbsp. oil
Mix or blend ingredients. Carefully season the pan so crepes remove easily. The art to making crepes requires persistence and patience. This batter is for a very thin crepe (French style) and does not need to be turned and makes approximately 12 crepes.
Filling: clove garlic; 1 tsp. olive oil; 2 tbsp. butter; 1/4 chopped onion; 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms; 1 c. steamed nettles; 1 c. cottage cheese; 2 tbsp. parmesan; sour cream; paprika; chopped chives; salt and pepper.
Wearing rubber gloves carefully gather nettles in a colander. Remove tough stems, chop and steam. Have no fear there is no sting when the nettles are cooked. In a skillet mix olive oil, butter, garlic, mushrooms and onion and cook together until tender. Add salt, pepper and then nettles. Mix. Place the filling in a bowl and add cottage cheese and grated parmesan. Place approximately 2 tbsp. of filling on each crepe and roll up. Put into a buttered casserole. Lightly spread sour cream over the
crêpes with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle with parmesan, chives and paprika. Bake at 350º
for 10 - 15 minutes or until hot.