Nettle soup
If life gives you nettles, make nettle soup. Delicious, nutritious and you can pick nettles from almost anywhere in Britain pretty much all year round.Just try to pick them as far from the road as possible and go for the youngest brightest looking leaves. Oh and use gloves.
Ingredients
- 1 bag nettles
- 1 large brown onion roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery roughly chopped
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock made with 1 cube
- 3 tbsp cooked rice optional
- 2 tbsp thick cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Chop up the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into small pieces. Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and sweat off what you’ve just chopped. Let it all soften up but not brown.
- Add the stock.
- To prepare the nettles separate all the leaves and wash ( its easier if you just pick the leaves in the first place )
- Throw the leaves into the pot as well.
- Boil everything up and then simmer for around 10 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Optionally add around 3 tablespoons of rice.
- Use a stick blender to zap everything until its smooth.
- If you don’t have a stick blender throw everything into a food blender, you may need to do this in batches.
- Throw it back into the pot and add a couple of tablespoons of cream.
- You can heat it gently for a few minutes but be careful not to boil it.
- Hmm, earthy goodness …
If you have any leftover …
- Nettle Soup Pasta
- Nettle Soup Risotto
- Nettle Soup Potato Bake
- Nettle Soup Bread Dip
- Nettle Soup Cream Sauce
Nettle Soup Pasta Use leftover nettle soup as a light pasta sauce. Warm it gently, toss with cooked pasta, and finish with cheese or a spoon of cream. The earthy flavour works beautifully with penne or shells.
Nettle Soup Risotto Stir leftover nettle soup into cooked rice or a simple risotto. It behaves like a spinach purée, giving the dish colour, creaminess, and a subtle herbal flavour.
Nettle Soup Potato Bake Pour leftover nettle soup over sliced potatoes, add cheese, and bake. The soup becomes a green, creamy base that turns into a cosy gratin.
Nettle Soup Bread Dip Serve nettle soup as a warm dip with crusty bread or garlic bread. The cream and nutmeg make it rich enough to use like a spinach-artichoke dip.
Nettle Soup Cream Sauce Reduce leftover nettle soup in a pan until thick, then use it as a sauce for chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables. The cream and nutmeg make it a surprisingly elegant green sauce.