Cooking with Nettles: JoJo’s Nettle Special

One of my very favorite foods when I was a kid was my mom’s New Joe’s Special – Hamburger, spinach, onions, and eggs, all scrambled up together and served with ketchup. It’s high on my list of beloved childhood comfort foods, along with my mom’s matzoh ball soup, lasagna, and green salads.

M calls it “JoJo’s Special”, which always makes me smile when I cook it for her (I picture a happy circus clown named JoJo sitting down to a bowl of it). A won’t try it, since she’s not a fan of mixed foods; she prefers one flavor or texture at a time, so whenever I make this, she gets a big pile of steamed spinach drenched in vinegar, instead.

Now I have a new version that I might like even more than the original with spinach. Last night, while contemplating a leftover grass-fed beef burger and the big dish of steamed nettles in my fridge, I got a craving for New Joe’s Special. 5 minutes later, I had a skillet full, enough for dinner and for breakfast this morning. The nettles add a lively fragrance and flavor to the dish, and with the grass-fed Mountain Beef and our back yard hens’ eggs, it’s almost entirely local. As you can see from the photo, I was in too much of a hurry to chop the nettles properly; I just tore them roughly by hand. Next time, I suppose I’ll be more civilized and use a knife.

JoJo's Nettle Special

Here’s how to make your own JoJo’s Nettle Special:

Brown some grass-fed beef in a cast iron skillet with a clove of diced garlic and a bit of diced shallot or onion if you desire.  If you’re not inclined to eat beef, you could easily substitute your favorite mushroom or tempeh, or just go with some sauteed garlic and onion, instead.

When the beef is nicely browned, add a pile of chopped steamed nettles and mix well. When the everything is heated up, add 2 raw scrambled eggs, pouring the eggs evenly over the beef and nettles. Let the eggs set for a few seconds, then scramble everything together until the eggs are just right, not dry.

Serve hot with Sriracha sauce or ketchup, salt and pepper to taste.