Nettle Soup

Well after quite a long hiatus I am back with some new recipes... now that spring is here I can get to play with some interesting ingredients. I have always wanted to try some nettles in some way or another- it's free food and can be found quite easily whether you live in the town or the city. So today I went for a short walk armed with some garden gloves to snag those lovely young nettle leaves. I half filled a plastic shopping bag with some of the youngest leaves I could find and quickly returned to cook this prickly vegetable.... and even though I was cautious and I wore gloves my fingers are still tingling from the being stung through the gloves.... I think rubber gloves next time.

Now I know that some of you are thinking ergh! nettles - you are going to eat nettles - yeah it is kind of wacky but then I like trying new things.... what is the worst that can happen - it tastes awful and I have wasted a couple of hours... but you are in for a surprise... these young nettle leaves make very tasty soup. Delicious.


Serves 4

1 onion - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 large potato - peeled and chopped
1/2 a plastic shopping bag of nettle leaves
vegetable stock
water (not sure of the quantities.. I just filled by saucepan)
splash of olive oil
seasoning

1. Pick over the nettles (make sure you wear those gloves) and remove any large stalks.
2. Fry off the onion and garlic over a low heat in a large saucepan.. about 5 - 7 minutes.
   
3. Add the chopped potatoes and stir through for 5 minutes are so.
4. Wash your nettles and add to the soup pan.
5. Add enough water to cover the all the mixture and add two crumbled stock cubes.
6. Give it all a good stir and leave to cook over a low heat for 20 minutes.
7. Add some seasoning... I just added some pepper as there was salt in the stock cubes.
8. Leave to cool a little and then liquidise your concoction.
9. Reheat and serve in soup bowls.
10. You can add a dollop of cream or yogurht but I made some potato rosti to go with it...

Doesn't it look amazingly green - I think it looks better than spinach soup