Stinging nettle pie

Did you know that stinging nettles are now in season? I bought a bunch of freshly picked stinging nettles over the weekend and decided to make a pie. My mom has frequently used the nettles while cooking, but I never thought I could use them too. The most difficult part was by all means washing them without getting rashes. I used cloves, but a few minutes later I felt a little burning in my finger tips, so I filled the sink with warm water and soaked the stinging nettles for about 10 minutes. I took the scissors to help me divide the leafs from the stalk ( the edible part of the nettles are the leafs). So I grabbed gently the stalks and cut one by one all the leafs. The whole process took about 15 minutes exactly, it may seem like a hard work, but trust me, it is not.

So, enough with talking, lets get back to the recipe I’m about to share, a stinging nettle pie, with a non-ordinary ingredient added to this this recipe.

[lt_recipe name=”Stinging nettle pie” servings=”4 servings” prep_time=”25M” cook_time=”30M” total_time=”55M” difficulty=”Medium” print=”yes” image=”https://bakemydayhappy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/hithra-1.jpg” ingredients=”Filling:;• 2 bunches of stinging nettles (leafs only);• 3 spring onions;• 1 bunch of fresh thyme;• 2 tbsp. olive oil;• 1 cup plain yogurt;• Zest of one lemon (secret ingredient );• Butter for topping;• Salt as needed;Pie dough:;• 500gr flour;• 300ml warm water;• 25gr fresh yeast or 7gr dry yeast;• 1 tsp. sugar;• 1 tsp. salt;” ]Start by making the pie dough since it needs to proof for about 30-40 minutes; In a small mixing boil add the warm water, sugar and dissolve the yeast. Let it rest for about 5 minutes; Sift the flour and make a well in the center. Add the salt and then pour over the yeast mixture. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic; Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it proof until doubled in size; In a large pan, drizzle with olive oil and fry the onions & thyme until softened. Add the nettles, cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The nettles will release their juices and shrink in volume. Season with salt and add the yogurt. Mix well and set aside to cool; Preheat the oven to 250ºC; Divide the dough in 2 parts and roll it thin at the size of a large round baking tray. Grease the tray and place one of the rolled dough. Pour over the filling and grate the lemon zest on top. Cover with the remaining dough. I made a nice decoration in the latter, I’ve places three leafs of nettles before rolling and as you can see it in the pictures, it came out pretty nice. Fold the sided as shown in the picture, chop some butter on top and bake it for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the pie with some water and cover it with a table cloth for some minutes; Serve the pie with plain yogurt a nice salad. [/lt_recipe]