Nettle Pancakes with Ricotta and Green Vegetables

Baking and Desserts | Afghan cuisine

⏳ Time

1 hour

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

If you don't have nettles on hand, these pancakes are still delicious with just spinach.

Ingredients

Pickled Nettle - 2.6 oz
Spinach - 0.7 oz
Wheat Flour - 7.1 oz
Chicken Egg - 3 pieces
Milk - 1 qt
Parsley - to taste
Ground Nutmeg - to taste
Asparagus - 15 pieces
Courgette - 10.6 oz
Green Peas - 3.5 oz
Meyer Lemon Juice - to taste
Ricotta cheese - 7.1 oz
Pistachios - to taste
Peanut Sprouts - to taste
Olive Oil - to taste
Ground Black Pepper - to taste
Ocean salt - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Put on protective gloves, separate the leaves from the nettles, removing the thick stems and tough parts.

Step 2

Rinse the leaves, then blanch them in a large pot of boiling water for 2–3 minutes to remove the bitterness. Add the spinach in the last minute of blanching. Drain the water.

Step 3

Squeeze out the excess water from the nettles and spinach, place them in a food processor and chop. Add flour, eggs, milk, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Blend until you have a smooth batter. If using an immersion blender, it will make the batter even smoother.

Step 4

Heat a little oil in a skillet over high heat. Add enough batter to completely cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook the pancake until small bubbles form on the surface and it dries out, then flip it over and brown the other side. Keep the cooked pancakes in a warm oven while the rest are cooking, adding oil for each subsequent pancake.

Step 5

For the filling, cut the asparagus sprouts in half if they are too thick. Blanch the zucchini or courgettes, peas, and asparagus in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes, then drain.

Step 6

To serve, place the pancake on a plate, top it with zucchini or courgettes, asparagus, peas, and pieces of ricotta. Season well, drizzle with lemon juice, and sprinkle with pistachios. Fold the pancake in half, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with pea shoots.