Nettles

Stinging nettle pesto.  A bunch of nettles, blanched and squeezed dry, equal amounts almonds (unpeeled) and Parmesan, and olive oil.  Done with a food processor.  Thinned with chicken broth.  Help from here.

And for an unpictured recipe that started with the last post: Poached Chicken with Morels.  Pretty heavily based on a Jacques Pepin Complete Techniques recipe and an oddly hypnotizing Gordon Ramsey video.  First a terrific whole Tea Hills chicken was poached for around 50 minutes in water flavored with half an onion, some carrot, celery, peppercorns, coriander, thyme, bay leaf, and salt.  After poaching, covered, the skin was removed and the thighs, drumsticks, and breast(s) were ready to go in the morel sauce.

For the sauce, it was 1/2 a cup white wine and minced shallot cooked down until pretty dry, then 1/3 cup of sherry cooked until really dry, then halved, rinsed morels with some chicken broth and a cup a cream cooked down until the sauce would easily coat the chicken.  A little salt and pepper and sauce was super rich and heady with morel flavor.  Minced tarragon garnish. 

I'm not a cream sauce nut, but here it just captures the flavor of the morel so well.  And the sherry complements the heady mushroom flavor perfectly.  A real nice treat.