Last few days have seemed like a play/pause button; we had a lovely full steam flow, then a sudden stop with all the projects, and now we are slowly returning to our normal life.
Next to that, I get a feeling that a long line of dirty dishes is always banging on the door; just when I thought I was finally DONE with, more show up out of nowhere.
The fruits of the garden slowly find their way into the menu, and we have all missed the sensation of the taste of young veggies. At the same time, we are preparing for the impending Easter celebration, and we are altering the menu suggestions from day to day.
You find yourself stuck in bunch of interesting treats you would like to try out or you or you revolve around well-known delicacies.
Three more days until that left, but this specialty that I've been wanting for days is finally here.
Beans with nettles.
Dear darling is already complaining on how much iron he ate in recent days, and we are just on the very beginning of home grown veggies, gazillion varieties with same ingredients.
Dear darling, you started complaining to early... :p
Because not everyone in the home enjoys healthful meals, I had to split one dish in half and tweak it to everyone's liking. Fortunately, preparing beans only takes one pot.
I'm assuming most of you are familiar with the nettle; otherwise, it's considered a plant that grows in darker, moist areas. It's quite protective, so if you are about to touch it with your bare hands, think once more.
You may have a continuous burning and stinging sensation on your skin, and blisters are likely following skin contact with nettles.
The sharper the sting, the younger the nettle.
In addition to its drawbacks, this unpopular plant offers a ton of positives, such being a source of organic iron.
My mother had to torment me as a youngster to make me take a few spoonfuls when I was anemic.
Today, I willingly move them from out of the way locations to my garden so they may continue to reproduce. It is also an excellent blood pressure and sugar regulator; nettle leaf tea, for instance, is beneficial for bladder pain.
Bragging list can go on and on, but I'll stop here...
(short note on how to fight against stinging while washing them, soak nettles in hot water and let them for few minutes)
Finely chopped onion, stew in oil with two finely grated carrots. I soaked 200g of beans in lukewarm water beforehand and let them stand for a couple of hours (it is better to do it overnight, but I forgot), then cooked them on low heat until the two ingredients melted and turned into porridge.
Add the beans and half a liter of water to the sautéed vegetables, cover, and simmer for a while.
The beans I made are not typical for our environment; the most preferred type is Tetovac (Macedonian variety), but in recent years it has been quite difficult to get that sort of quality beans.
This plant's cultivation has ceased; before, it was commonly planted alongside maize, around which it liked to wrap itself during growth.
Gluten isn't always part of the beans (depending on the type), but it does provide an abundance of vitamins such as vitamin B and magnesium, as well as it contains a low level of trans fats.
But there is also an unpleasant side of, they might cause gas in the stomach.
Just in case while preparing add a peeled potato in it and it will soak everything up!
The most frequently used spices are allspice, pepper and salt, you add them according to taste during cooking.
In my part of the version, I added two more chopped spring onions, some nettles and some large pieces of chopped carrot, it will add sweetness to the dish. Fry the spring onion in a few drops of oil, add the nettle and carrots, keep stewing...
This manual press is one of the best tools for pureeing vegetables or mashed potatoes.
It brings the texture to perfection, balanced with small pieces of vegetables. Before commercial blenders and choppers, this was the only tool that could create a puree texture in the kitchen.
And it's still widely used...
Few squeezing and pressing on the beans until texture becomes creamy, but still liquid.
Join the beans to the nettles and spring onions, season to taste and let them cook until desired density.
In the portion for the rest, I added sliced sausage, it is to some extent the most famous combination in our country. By the way, the most favorite version of this dish, in my opinion, comes from the oven, without meat, the lean version that is most often eaten during the Christmas fasting days.
That combination is really something different, yet so simple but requires a lot's of skills and right proportions of spices, oil and onion.
(tried once - failed)
The pale brownish yellow color of the soup through which green nettle leaves permeate, few slices of bread and some nice fresh spinach salad to round everything up.
...and I fell asleep as soon as I turned the stove off.
Any impressions when it comes about nettles, had a chance to try them out?
