Stinging Nettles! Risotto!

I guess it was kind of crazy of me to buy these from the forager, rather than picking them myself at the park, or perhaps just crazy to eat them at all. But honestly, I'd worry about pesticides if I picked them at a park. I wanted to try them because it sounded exciting.
 

But when it got right down to it, I was afraid to touch them. Here's Charlie being my hero and blanching them for me. We went for 3 minutes, to ensure all the stingers were toast.
 

They boil down to what almost seems like puree. And the stems become just as soft as the leaves
 

After that they are easy to work with. To make a risotto, saute rice with onions and garlic, gradually adding broth until rice is full cooked. When the rice is getting close, stir in the greens. I used half and half instead of butter to give it a creamy texture. This is topped with pecorino ribbons.
 
This dish was quite good, but somehow we still had a hard time relaxing about eating nettles. Charlie was convinced it was making his mouth tingle. I agree, but really we did not actually get stung or anything and it was quite good, but maybe I will stick with spinach in the future unless I find nettles in my yard.