I think it a shame that nettle is counted as a weed. Every little nettle I spot makes me so happy, especially in spring time when the fresh young shoots are mild tasting and packed with nutrition. I pick buckets full and dehydrate for availability all through the year. I brew nettle tea and add nettle in sourdough bread and smoothies to increase nutritional values in the food we eat. In spring I make nettle soup. You can make it vegan or with bone broth, you can make it super simple or delicately complex. Todays variety is somewhere in between and is often asked for by all my children for dinner.
Recipe:
4 tbsp real butter
2 onions
2 potatoes, finely diced
1 litter of nettle leaves
3-4 garlic boats
1 tsp red pepper powder
1 pinch cayenne
0,5 tsp fennel powder
1,5 litters of broth or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp arrowroot + cold water to stir it out
4 tbsp (large) non pastured soured cream (I lift the fat of the top of the jar of milk on my kitchen counter and leave it out to sour. Tastes like creme fraiche. If you are doing a vegan version add a squeeze of lemon for that sharp sour taste.)
Blitz the soup before you add the remaining ingredients.
Serve with hardboiled eggs and sourdough bread.
