Nettle Soup
There are few things that feel more like spring to me than gathering a basket of fresh stinging nettle and bringing it into the kitchen.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of those plants that teaches us not to judge a plant by its first impression. Fresh from the ground, those tiny hairs can certainly get your attention. Once properly cooked, however, nettle becomes a nourishing, earthy green that works beautifully in soups, broths, teas, and other preparations.
This simple nettle soup is one of my favorite ways to bring spring nettle into the kitchen.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup uncooked rice
A few handfuls of fresh stinging nettle
3–4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 cups vegetable broth
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Mixed vegetables of your choice
Potatoes and/or leeks, optional
Additional fresh or dried herbs, optional
Directions
Prepare the Nettle
Using gloves or another method that protects your hands, carefully remove the nettle leaves from the stems.
Handle fresh nettle carefully until it has been thoroughly cooked.
Prepare the Rice
Begin cooking the rice separately while you prepare the soup.
Build the Soup
Melt the ghee or butter in a large soup pot.
Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté gently until the onion becomes translucent and fragrant.
Add the vegetable broth and prepared nettle to the pot.
Bring the soup to a full boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Add your vegetables, cooked rice, salt, and black pepper.
Potatoes, leeks, and additional herbs can be added here as well.
Continue simmering until the vegetables are tender and everything has come together.
Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Then enjoy your bowl of spring
Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica
Nettle is one of my favorite spring plants.
It is traditionally valued as a nutritive and anti-inflammatory herb, and nettle has a long history of use in herbalism for seasonal complaints, including those associated with allergies.
Just as nettle is traditionally used to support the body during seasonal allergy periods, herbalists also work with nettle more broadly when addressing patterns of inflammation.
Nettle is also incredibly nourishing. The leaves contain minerals and other nutrients, making them a wonderful spring food when harvested correctly and prepared properly.
And this is one of the reasons I love learning herbs through food.
You don’t always need a complicated preparation.
Sometimes herbalism looks like dinner.
A Note About Stinging Nettle
Fresh nettle should not be handled with bare hands unless you know the plant has been rendered sting-free.
Cooking nettle thoroughly removes its characteristic sting, making the cooked leaves suitable for culinary use.
Always be certain of your identification before harvesting wild plants, harvest from clean areas, and leave enough of the plant behind to support the population.
Nettle is a beautiful example of a plant that can move between the kitchen and the apothecary.
Food can be herbalism, too.
As a strong anti-inflammatory herb, nettle excels at supporting the body through seasonal allergies. Just as nettle leaves can support the body with inflammatory seasonal allergies, nettle can also help address general inflammation in the body.
Comments