Nettle and Shiitake Mushroom Fritters with Tahini and Lemon Dip

Spring is a perfect season for foraging wild edible plants in the nature. Forests and grasslands are full of various plant species that are wonderful in salads, soups or stews.

Even if you are not that good at distinguishing different plant species, nettle is one of those plants that you can hardly miss. It grows along the forest edges, and is often found nearby houses.

It is usually picked in early spring when the leaves are still tender, but can be picked later in the season too. Just make sure that you pick the young leaves from the top of the plant. And, of course, protect your hands if you cannot handle the stinging.

Nature’s medicine and a superfood

Nettle leaves are known for their high concentrations of iron, but they are also rich in other minerals and vitamins C and A. Nettle tea is used for many indications, and nettle extract is a well-known ingredient in natural hair preparations and products.

Young nettle leaves are perfect in soups and other dishes. They can be used instead of dark leafy greens in many recipes. Wild foods will give you some extra nutrition, and I have noticed that you need a smaller amount to feel full and satiated with wild foods in comparison to farmed ingredients.

Nettle and shiitake make up a mild and flavourful combination

This time I decided to combine freshly picked nettle leaves with shiitake mushrooms and potatoes. Shiitake have a mild flavour that goes well with the nettle, and doesn’t dominate the whole thing (which can often happen with mushrooms). They also have a really nice and fresh texture that will add some moisture to this dish.

Even though I call them fritters, I avoid actually frying food in general. You can make these on a pan with just a little bit of oil, or bake them in an oven without any oil. You will get a slightly juicier result if you cook them on a pan.

I combined them with a tahini and lemon dip that is super quick and easy to make. Tahini has become one of my staples in the kitchen again lately. It is really nutritious, rich in calcium and iron, and a really tasty and budget-friendly substitute for nut butters. I make it in the blender, the same way I would make a nut butter. Just instead of oven-baking, I prefer to toast sesame seeds on a dry pan over a low heat.

Yield: 12-14 pieces

Nettle and Shiitake Mushroom Fritters with Tahini Dip

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cubed potatoes
• 1 + 1/2 cup fresh young nettle leaves
• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 2 pinches Himalayan salt
• 1 tbsp tamari (optional)
• 1 small pinch bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp polenta or coarse cornmeal
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• +
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• juice of 1 small lemon
• 2 pinches Himalayan salt
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

1. Cook the potatoes.
2. Cook the shiitake mushrooms on a dry pan for half a minute or so, to reduce the moisture and enhance their flavour a bit.
3. Put the nettle in a pot with boiling water and cook for about a minute.*
4. Transfer the potatoes into a bowl and crush them with a fork.
5. Chop the cooked nettle leaves, transfer into the bowl with potatoes and add chopped shiitake mushrooms, polenta, spelt flour, tahini, soda and Himalayan salt. Mix everything to combine.
6. Shape the patties and bake them in an oven, on 180 °C for 30 minutes.**
7. To make the dip, blend 3 tablespoons of tahini with half a cup soy milk, lemon juice, garlic and Himalayan salt.

Notes

* Do not throw away the water in which you cooked nettles - it contains medicinal substances as well, and can be drank as a herbal tea, used as a soup broth, or even used to rinse your hair with it. I sometimes also use it in my garden, to water the plants. Among other things, nettle can help you get rid of aphids on the plants.

** These patties can also be cooked on a pan, with a little bit of (coconut) oil; you need to bake them over a low to medium heat until they turn golden on both sides.

***

Polpete od koprive i shiitaka

Proljeće je savršeno vrijeme za sakupljanje samoniklih jestivih biljaka iz prirode. Šume i livade su pune različitih biljnih vrsta koje mogu poslužiti za salatu, juhu ili varivo, a čak i ako se ne razumijete baš toliko u biljke, kopriva je sigurno jedna od onih koje nikako ne možete promašiti.

Raste uz rubove šuma, često u blizini naselja i kuća, a njezina su ljekovita svojstva i prehrambena vrijednost poznate još iz starog Rima. Listovi koprive poznati su po visokoj koncentraciji željeza, a sadrže i druge minerale, vitamin C i provitamin A.

Čaj od koprive koristi se kod brojnih indikacija, ekstrakt koprive je poznati dodatak preparatima za kosu, a mladi listovi su odlični u juhi ili nekom drugom jelu u koje paše tamno zelenje.

Nedavno sam se zaželjela polpeta od koprive i gljiva… Tih dana nisam stigla do šume, pa je zagrebački Mali plac savršeno uskočio sa svježe ubranim koprivama, domaćim shiitakama i pirovim brašnom.

Imala sam i domaći tahini koji mi je opet postao hit u zadnje vrijeme (a i jeftina zamjena za maslac od orašida u krizna vremena), pa sam složila i brzinski umak. Tahini i ostale namaze od sjemenki radim isto kao i maslac od orašida, prema ovom receptu, samo što sjemenke umjesto u pećnici pečem na suhoj tavi na laganoj vatri.

Sastojci

Za polpete

• 3/4 šalice krumpira narezanog na kockice
• 1 i 1/2 šalica svježih mladih listova koprive
• 1 šalica narezanih shiitaka
• 2 prstohvata himalajske soli
• 1 jušna žlica tamarija (opcija)
• 1 mali prstohvat sode bikarbone
• 2 jušne žlice palente
• 2 jušne žlice tahinija
• 1/2 šalice pirovog brašna iz cijelog zrna

Za umak

• 3 jušne žlice tahinija
• 1/2 šalice sojinog mlijeka
• 2 prstohvata himalajske soli
• sok 1 manjeg limuna

Postupak

1. Skuhajte krumpire.
2. Popecite shiitake na suhoj tavi, na najmanjoj vatri, kako bi izgubile dio vlage.
3. Ubacite svježu koprivu u kipuću vodu i kuhajte oko minutu da se malo opusti.*
4. Prebacite kuhane krumpire u zdjelu i zgnječite ih vilicom.
5. Kuhane listove narežite na sitno, prebacite u zdjelu s krumpirima i dodajte im sitno narezane shiitake, palentu, pirovo brašno, tahini, sodu i himalajsku sol.
6. Oblikujte polpete i pecite ih oko 30 minuta na 180 °C.**
7. Za umak izblendajte 3 jušne žlice tahinija s pola šalice sojinog mlijeka, limunovim sokom, češnjakom i malo himalajske soli.

Dobar tek!

Napomene

• Vodu od kuhanja nemojte baciti – u njoj isto ima ljekovitih tvari i može se popiti kao čaj, iskoristiti za ispiranje kose ili za zalijevanje biljaka (između ostalog, kopriva pomaže kod suzbijanja lisnih ušiju na biljkama).
• **Polpete možete peći i na tavi, na malo (kokosovog) ulja; peku se na laganoj ili srednjoj vatri dok ne poprime lagano zlatnu boju.