It’s time for a new recipe, and this one’s inspired by the unkempt winter mess of our front yard. We’ve boiled up whatever nettles we could find on the path to the letterbox to make a brilliant green dough, and then filled that with a simple, smooth mix of mascarpone, toasted walnut, and lemon zest. And it’s all served on a bitter bed of radicchio, sautéed in white wine, with crunchy cacciatore sprinkled on top. Of course, if you’re not so keen on the bitterness, you can easily substitute some or all of the radicchio for red cabbage. Let’s get into it!
For the pasta, pull on a pair of gloves and harvest your nettles. You’re looking for younger, newer growth, and avoiding flowering plants (they may cause health complications at this stage in their life cycle, and will be hoarier and tougher). Pick off the newest leaves from the tops of the plants, discard the stems, and boil for 2-3 minutes to neutralise the sting.
From here, purée the nettle, and add it to your well of dough ingredients, before combining it all into a ball. Knead for 10 minutes and rest for 30.
While you’re passing the time, blend the filling ingredients together and prepare a piping bag with a medium round tip (or just prepare to use a teaspoon and your fingers). Then make a start on the purée.
Firstly, fry the thinly-sliced cacciatore in the olive oil until it’s crispy; scoop out of the pan. Briefly sauté the garlic in the olive oil leftover from the cacciatore before adding the radicchio. Give it another few minutes to soften up, and then add the white wine. Let this reduce by half and cover and cook for 10 minutes. If you find it still too watery after this time, scoop out the radicchio and reduce the liquid to a syrup; then stir it back in. Mix in the vinegar and cheese, season to taste, blend until smooth, and your sauce is ready.
For the cappelletti, process the dough as you normally would, gradually stepping down through the settings on your machine until you’re at a medium-thin thickness. Cut into 6cm circles and then place a large pea-sized dollop of filling in the centre of each. Fold in half, sealing into semicircles, and then bring one corner around the filling to slightly overlap with the other corner; pinch the overlap together firmly. Little Al (who’s really not so little any more) steps us through it below.
When you’re ready to eat, drop the cappelletti into a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until the dough is cooked (there should be no raw dough visible when the pasta is cut into), and then scoop out and toss in a little olive oil.
Serve them on the radicchio purée, crumbling the cacciatore on top and seasoning with freshly cracked black pepper.
Hopefully this is a welcome bit of variety on pasta night, or at the very least gives you something constructive to do next time you find your garden overrun with nettles.
Buon appetito!
Al, Al, and El.
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 40 g nettle leaves
- 200 g plain flour
- 80 g semolina
- 80 g light rye flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
Pasta Filling
- 220 g mascarpone
- 90 g walnuts
- 25 g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- Zest of one lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Radicchio Purée
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 6-7 cloves garlic minced
- 2 heads radicchio
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp pecorino cheese grated
To Serve
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 120 g cacciatore thinly sliced
Instructions
Pasta Dough
- Wearing a durable pair of gloves, pick the leaves from the tops of the nettle plants. These will be the newer, softer leaves. Boil in water for 2-3 minutes to neutralise the sting, before draining and puréeing in a blender or food processor.
- Form a well of flour with the eggs, oil, nettle purée in the centre and salt, and then use a fork and your hands to gradually incorporate into a ball of dough. The moisture levels should be such that it’s soft without sticking to anything. If it’s too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time.
- Knead firmly for 10 minutes, and then rest covered and away from direct sunlight and heat for 30 minutes.
Pasta Filling
- Toast the shelled walnuts in a medium-hot pan for 4-5 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown. Allow to cool, and then grind into a paste using a mortar and pestle.
- Blend the walnuts together with the other filling ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Load into a piping bag with a medium round tip.
Radicchio Purée
- Begin by frying the thinly sliced cacciatore in 2 tbsp of olive oil, in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy, 2-3 minutes. Remove, leaving the oil in the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium, and another 2 tbsp of olive oil, and then gently sauté the garlic for one minute.
- Add the radicchio to the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until it has reduced in size.
- Stir in the white wine, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Then scoop out the radicchio, return the liquid to the heat, and reduce to a syrup.
- Mix the radicchio back in, along with the pecorino and vinegar. Season to taste, and then blend it all up into a purée.
Making the Pasta
- Pass the dough through the pasta machine on the thickest setting a few times, folding in half over itself in between each pass. Then step incrementally down to a medium-thin thickness.
- Cut the dough into 6cm circles and then place a large pea-sized dollop of filling into the centre of each.
- Fold in half, sealing into semicircles, and then bring one corner around the filling to slightly overlap with the other corner; pinch the overlap together firmly.
To Serve
- When you’re ready to eat, drop the cappelletti into a large pot of salted boiling water, and cook until the dough is still firm but shows no rawness when cut into, usually 4-5 minutes.
- Scoop out the pasta and toss in 2 tbsp of olive oil, before serving on top of the purée, with the salami crumbled on top, and a crack of black pepper.
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This nettle pasta recipe is either a brilliant way to use up those pesky weeds or a masterful ruse to get you to eat green stuff! Who knew 40g of nettles could turn into such a decadent dish? The instructions for handling the nettles alone seem like an adventure – Wearing a durable pair of gloves indeed! And the final dish looks like a tiny pasta battle helmet, semicircles… and then bring one corner around the filling to slightly overlap with the other corner. Its a culinary puzzle! Definitely trying this to see if my taste buds are as brave as my willingness to follow such an elaborate (and slightly suspicious) recipe. #pastaetal #bravecooking