Nettle soup .
While some people might regard stinging nettles in a garden as a curse, we regard them as a blessing (other than if stung). Not only are they the sole food of certain butterfly larvae, but they also form the basis for a delicious soup.
It’s best to pick the nettles in the springtime when the new shoots appear; they shouldn’t be more than approx. 5 cm in length. (It’s claimed that gloves aren’t needed, but I’m giving no guarantees). Blanch the leaves for a couple of minutes, refresh in cold water, finely chop by hand and then freeze the chopped leaves in one liter freezer bags. That way it’s possible to enjoy the soup all year round.
The recipe below was given to me by my mother-in-law, Ingrid. It’s incredible easy and superb — I promise!
Ingredients
1 finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 liters of chopped nettles (defrosted)
1 liter chicken or vegetable stock (= 2 stock cubes + 1 liter water)
Salt + pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
100 ml cream
Garnish
2 hard boiled eggs (or, more elegent version: 8 hard boiled quails eggs)
Finely chopped chives
Method
Lightly sauté the chopped onion in the butter, 4-5 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the stock, followed by the nettles. Add seasonings. Return to the heat, partially cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Before serving, add the cream and reheat.
Garnish each place with ½ a hard boiled egg or 2 quails eggs). Sprinkle with chopped chives.
