STinging Nettle Soup

PREP TIME 30 mins COOK TIME 45 mins TOTAL TIME 75 mins SERVINGS 4 servings

1/2 large shopping bag of stinging nettles, or about 1lb.

• salt

• 1.5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoon butter (you can leave this out if you are avoiding dairy)

• 1/2 cup chopped shallots

• 1 clove garlic (or 3 ramps!)

• 1/3 cup chopped celery

• 1/4c white wine (if you would like)

• 1 pound yellow flesh Yukon or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 6 cups chicken stock (you can substitute vegetable stock for vegetarian)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (you can leave this out if you are avoiding dairy)

• salt and pepper to taste

First, you will want to put water on and get it to a rolling boil. Wearing gloves, using the bag, or using the tongs, tip the stinging nettles into the boiling water, and let them go for at least 30 seconds. Remove the nettles by either placing them on a tray with a towel, or you can also leave them in your strainer for now. You can reserve this tea for other projects, like stinging nettle beer. HOT TIP: This is the point where you could literally now use the stinging nettles for anything that your heart desires!

Sauté your butter, olive oil, shallots, celery, and garlic/ramps until the onions have become transparent. Deglaze your pan with the white wine and add all remaining ingredients except for the cream. Neat trick, the smaller that you cut your potatoes, the faster they will be ready! Once the potatoes are cooked, it is time to puree! You can either do this with an immersion blender, or a blender if you have one. Safety note: If you puree with a blender, please be mindful of the steam and use a tea towel to protect your hand while allowing a small hole for the steam to escape, and do not fill the blender completely!

After pureeing the soup, you can season it to your taste with lemon juice, then salt and pepper. Use the cream to garnish when you serve. If you can find wild violets, I recommend using them as a garnish.

Best enjoyed served with friends or family.