Pasta with stinging nettles and almonds

Stinging nettles: a humble and neglected weed that deserves a place in our kitchen. Try them with pasta and almonds in this recipe by Angela Nicolettou.

Pasta with stinging nettles Source: supplied by Angela Nicolettou

Stinging nettle and almond pasta

Ingredients

400g stinging nettles or a mix of wild greens (dandelions, sow thistle, etc)

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp chilli flakes

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan or mitzithra (ricotta salata) cheese for grating

1 lemon

1 packet macaroni or other pasta shape you like

Method

To begin, prepare the nettles making sure you wear gloves as they can sting. Use the leafy tips of the nettles and discard the thick stalks. Wash in cold water. If using other wild greens, such as sow thistle and dandelions, wash and roughly chop. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the greens for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

Bring a large pot of well salted water to the boil and cook the pasta as per packet instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain and retain ½ cup of pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frypan and add the olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic. Add the blanched and drained greens and mix to coat with the oil and lightly fry (about 2 minutes). Add the slivered almonds and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the greens mix to the pot of drained pasta together with the reserved pasta water and mix through.

To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil, add a squeeze of lemon some black pepper and grated cheese.

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