Recipes – № 47
Fusilli with Stinging Nettles and Fennel Sausage
Stinging nettles get their name from microscopic hairs that break when touched and, according to Wikipedia, “act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation”. Serving this weed for dinner sounds like a terrible idea, but actually nettles are delicious and an entirely practical kitchen green. They’re also associated with a long list of health benefits and are used by nursing mothers, arthritis patients and bodybuilders, to name a few.
Nettles are best in the spring when the leaves are pristine and the stems are tender. To avoid the stringy parts, I only use the tips (down to the fourth pair of leaves or so) and the best vendors at the farmers market don’t sell them any other way. Most people will tell you to use gloves when washing and cutting nettles, but in my experience that’s rarely necessary unless you’re harvesting fresh nettles yourself.
I usually prepare a larger quantity of this pasta sauce to have leftovers. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days (and also freezes without problems) and you can easily boil more pasta later as needed.
Serves 8
½ lb of homemade pork fennel sausage (see recipe)
1 onion
1 lb stinging nettles
16 oz jarred or canned tomatoes (including juices)
1 ⅓ lbs fusilli pasta (white or whole grain)
Young pecorino or pecorino-style cheese for grating
½ cup olive oil
Wash the nettles and, if necessary, trim the stems from the 5th pair of leaves down. If you’re getting stung, use gloves. Slice the nettles crosswise, half an inch apart. Peel the onion, cut in two and slice each half ⅛-inch thick.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil, shape the sausage meat into a ball with your hands and place it into the pot, pushing the meat down gently to form a semi sphere. Brown the meat undisturbed for 5 minutes, then turn over and brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Break up the meat into crumbs with a cooking spoon or spatula and sauté until just cooked through. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, add another 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the pot that previously held the sausage and sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add fine sea salt, 2 more Tbsp of olive oil and the nettles and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to prevent the onions from burning. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook until the nettles have wilted and the tomatoes are falling apart easily when stirring, around 10-20 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in the water pot according to the package instruction, until al-dente. Drain the pasta using a colander or just pour off the water while holding the pot and the lid open a crack with a kitchen towel or some oven mitts. Sprinkle the pasta with olive oil and shake the pot.
Add the sausage back to the sauce, add black pepper and more salt to taste and toss the sauce into the pasta. Serve immediately with some freshly grated pecorino.
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