Nettle Soup
September 3rd, 2006 by Scott |
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For children in England Nettles are one of lifes annoyances, stinging legs all around the country. Reliable information from Parents dictates that the sting can be neutralised by rubbing the leaves of the Dock plant (which always seems to grow nearby) on them; does anybody know if this is true?
Now as a grown up, and especially one who will never turn down a free meal, getting my own back on Nettles by cooking and eating them seems a fitting form of revenge. Of course, when cooked, any remnants of their viscious sting is gone, and the taste is pleasing.
I must point out that only the leaves young Nettles must be used for this recipe, and while that might take us out of season (start of September) at the moment, in many locations it is possible to find a second batch of Nettles growing along side the older ones (which grow around April).
This soup is not only very easy to make, it is also suprisingly tasty.
Nettle Soup Recipe – Ingredients
- 1 Carrier Bag filled with Nettles
- 1 Onion (diced)
- 1 Carrot (peeled and diced)
- 1 stick Celery (chopped)
- Water
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Nettle Soup Recipe – Method
- Prepare 850ml Chicken Stock / 28.75 fl. oz (or use a stock cube).
- Add carrot, onion and celery to boiling stock, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add Nettle leaves, and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and blend until smooth.
And to serve…
If desired, stir in a touch of double cream off the heat for a professional touch, and serve while hot. Enjoy!
Filed under: Fruit & Veg.
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My Mom used to recommend saliva for nettle stings, definitely on tap all the time
I have wanted to try nettles in cooking for a long time, something to keep in mind for the spring!
Hi Johanna,
I’ve edited your post because you have spelled your URL wrong when you entered your details, and I didn’t want people to miss out on a link to your fantastic food site.
oh thanks for that, scott: the editing AND the compliment!
Oooh, it’s a brave man who first picked and ate a nettle…! (to paraphrase a far more famous quote…) Interesting post – and thanks also for the elderberry pic – I swear that’s the bush growing wild in our parking area – always covered in greedy wood pigeons eating the berries! Methinks it’s time I went foraging.
Jeanne: If the berries look like like elderberries, they probably are; there’s not much that looks like these. They’re about half the size of “standard” berries and quite distinctive.
Oh, and I did sting myself with the nettles when I got them home (maybe wear gloves)!
Nettle soup. one of my favourites that my mum makes. I think it beats any other green. glad to have discovered you via Weekend Herb Blogging.
Everyone who eats Nettle soup is so suprised by the taste. Next spring I’ll experiment further with something different.
I normally make nettle beer rather than soup!!
antony: Nettle beer isn’t something I’ve tried – but I’m more then willing to give it a go this spring.
[...] times; a bit like beef only richer and gamier. 2. Nettle tea. Tried this shortly after cooking Nettle Soup (inspired by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall). The soup is delicious, the tea is just OK; still worth [...]
[...] too late (fresh young leaves are the best, so March / April are the best times). I’ve tried Nettle Soup before, which is fantastic, but never ventured further than that; now I can happily report that [...]