Nettle Soup

GTB · Nettle Soup

Nettle Soup

This is a very easy recipe using a much derided plant that is very good for you. Nutritionally the nettle is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, iron and numerous trace elements as well as a range of vitamins plus it's supposed to be an excellent antioxidant. For this recipe you only use either young nettles or the tops from slightly older plants.

Ingredients:
25g Butter
1 Medium onion
2 Garlic cloves
450g (1lb) Freshly picked nettle leaves (approx. 3/4 carrier bag full)
400g Potatoes, chopped
1 Litre Vegetable stock
Half a pint of milk or 1/4 pint of double cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:
Melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic gently for about ten minutes in a covered saucepan, without covering. Add the potatoes and then a couple of minutes later add the nettles. The nettles will wilt in the heat if you keep stiring. After two minutes of the nettles being cooked add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool a little and the puree in a blender and then return to a clean pan. Stir in the cream or milk and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper. It's as easy as that! :thumbup:

Here's all the ingredients for this simple rustic dish.

Slowly cook the onions and garlic and then add the potato.

Add the nettles to your pan - it looks a bit of a squeeze at first.

The nettles soon wilt in the heat similar to spinach.

After simmering the soup is then pureed giving you this lovely green colour.

The finished article after adding the milk. A swirl of cream might look nice.

Local lass

never tried nettle soup.i take it the cooking process destroys the sting?

GTB

There is no sting at all with cooked nettle. It's very tasty as well! :wink:

Angel

Nettles are very good for you as well, anyone tried nettle tea?

It also makes very good fertilizer smiling