Recipe: Nourishing Ghee of the Land and Sea

This adapted recipe of our Land + Sea Weeds ghee is a more accessible version to DIY at home, offering a nourishing and restorative tonic through the depths of winter. While a nutrient-rich and bioavailable food in its own right, ghee is gifted with the power to pass through the lipid membranes of our cells, facilitating the increased absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from the foods and herbs with which it is paired. For this reason, ghee is a perfect and extremely functional carrier oil for botanical preparations, helping us to regularly receive the medicine of herbs in a way that’s easy to incorporate.

Synergizing the medicine of the land and sea, of our plant and animal kin, this recipe harnesses the powers of stinging nettle and dulse. Rich in minerals, these plant allies are regenerative to the body’s cells, awakening enzymes and nourishing the tissues. Stinging nettle is a wild food that has been traditionally revered in herbal medicine as a nutritive tonic; it’s one of the first plants that will appear to remediate wounded earth or toxicity in the soil, bringing vitality back to the land and to our earth bodies. Similarly, dulse is a nutrient-rich ancient red algae that greatly adds to the antioxidant and vitamin profile of this recipe.

With one of the highest smoke points around, this creation is perfect for frying, roasting, or sautéing. Boasting the most vibrant of colors, an herbal-infused ghee will help you feel like you’re getting your greens in all winter long!

 

Materials

4 lbs unsalted butter, ideally pasture-raised and European style

2 C stinging nettle leaf, dried

1⁄2 C dulse seaweed

Thick-bottomed pot

Fine mesh sieve for straining

2-4 large coffee filters

Glass measuring jug or stainless steel bowl

Double boiler pot

6-7 jars, 8 oz

 

Method

Place the butter into the pot on a low-medium flame. Make sure the pot has at least an upper 50% empty surface area above the butter, as it will foam and rise. A low-medium flame can vary significantly from stove to stove, so keep an eye on it and lower the heat if the contents threaten to overflow.

While this is brewing, powder the nettle using a mortar and pestle or herb grinder. Cut or rip the seaweed into smaller pieces.

Allow the butter to transform into ghee for about 2 hours, until the milk solids at the bottom of the pot turn a rich brown hue. You can test readiness by hovering a clean glass over the pot. If it fogs up, it’s not ready.

Once the ghee is ready, double strain it into the glass jug or bowl through a coffee filter placed within the fine mesh sieve. It will be a golden amber color. Switch out the filter if a lot of milk solids accumulate while straining.

Place the herbs into the upper part of the double boiler and add the strained ghee. Fill the bottom pot halfway with water. Assemble (without lid) and place on a very low flame for several hours, watching to make sure it doesn’t ever come to a boil.

The ghee will be a dark, rich green hue when ready. Strain the mixture again, using a fresh coffee filter. Squeeze the coffee filter to extract as much of the oil as possible.

Pour into glass jars, seal, and leave out on the counter to cool and solidify. You should be left with 6-7 jars!

Notes

• Dulse can be substituted for 3 strips of dried kombu.
• Store in a cool, dark area for 6+ months.
• Once opened, enjoy it within 3 months.
• Use a clean, dry utensil each time you dip in.

This article originally appeared in the 2023 Winter edition of the Botanical Anthology magazine.