Patina of Nettles
patina urticarum calida et frigida: urticam accipies, lauas, colas per colum, exsiccabis in tabula; eam concides. teres piperis scripulos X, suffundes liquamen, fricabis. postea adicies liquaminis ciatos duos, olei uncias VI. caccabus ferueat; cum ferbuerit coctam tolles ut refrigescat; postea patinam mundam perungues, franges oua octo et agitabis. perfundes, subtus supra cinerem calidam habeat. coctam piper minutum asparges et inferes.
Patina of nettles, hot and cold: take nettles, wash them, strain through a colander, dry them on a board; chop them. Grind 10 scripula of pepper, moisten with fish sauce, and work it. Then add 2 cyathi of fish sauce and 6 ounces of oil. Let the pot boil; when it has boiled, take the cooked nettles off to cool; then grease a clean dish, break in eight eggs and stir. Pour it over, with hot ash below and above. When cooked, sprinkle with fine pepper and serve.
Ingredients
- 250 g nettles, spinach, or other leafy green
- 20 ml fish sauce
- 30 ml olive oil
- 6 eggs
- Pepper
Method
- Wash and coarsely chop the greens. Add to a frying pan along with the fish sauce, olive oil, and a generous quantity of ground pepper, and cook.
- Once the leaves are wilted, remove from the heat. Drain any excess liquid if present, then return the leaves to the frying pan.
- Beat the 6 eggs, then pour over the leaves. Return the frying pan to the heat and cook until the bottom is cooked. Then either flip the omelette, or alternatively place the frying pan under the broiler to allow the top to cook. Serve either hot or cold.