Stinging nettle soup
I made this rather huge pot of soup as now is the best time to eat stinging nettle. I’m lucky enough to live by a big private field where the nettles are happily growing far away from any pollution.
I pick up only the top bit from the stinging nettles. Then I soaked them in a large pot or bowl and let them sit there for about an hour. The water turned into copper colour from all the iron released from the stinging nettle. Then I rinsed them again and placed them over tea towels to dry a bit. I picked a lot so I put some in small bags and put them in the freezer.
When I use some broccoli, I have been keeping their stalks as they are perfectly edible and full of goodies. I chopped some onions, carrots and celery (the basics of any stock). Then added some potatoes to thicken up the soup, a courgette, the broccoli stalks and the nettles at the end. When I was a student at the Culinary Academy, I remember our tutor said the right way to start any soup or a broth is by frying the veggies at the beginning. This helps the natural sugars in the veggies to cook and caramelize and release lovely flavours and smell.
Try this amazing full of iron and magnesium soup to boost your immune system and feel more energetic!
Ingredients: Onions x 2 – Courgette x 1 – Broccoli stalks 3 – 4 x 3 – Celery x 2 sticks – Carrots x 2 and Stinging nettle tips around 100g
Method: Chop all veggies in large cubes
- Add some oil in a pot and fry the veggies all together. Once they release a nice smell add enough water to cover the veggies.
- Once all veggies are cooked through remove the soup from the heat and add the stinging nettle tips. Leave them there for a bit and they will get softer
- Once the soup is a bit cooler, use a hand blender and blitz the whole thing until smooth.
- Serve in bowls and add some chilli flakes or grated cheddar or sour cream or just enjoy it as it is
Take care and stay safe!
Lots of love,
Yovi xx 