Nettle Soup

Nettles are best foraged in the spring when they are young and tender. They grow in an abundance down t’allotment and for a few years now I have been meaning to gather some to make soup but every year I miss my chance. Because this is also the time of year Paul does the first mow of the season; where he basically chops down everything in the path of the mower; followed by strimming around the edges of the beds and spreading weed killer to get anything left over. So by the time I get there the nettles are either shredded into small pieces or shrivelling up. Not this year though. I made it to the nettles before he did and gathered a bagful.  

Back home I looked up nettle soup and found this really easy one on the River Cottage website. Nettles and recipe in hand I gathered the rest of my ingredients and set about making the soup. Rather than the stovetop method I decided to give it a go in the pressure cooker; even if the potatoes went mushy it didn’t matter, it was all getting whizzed up in the blender anyway. It ended up being a little thinner than it might have been using the stovetop method since the liquid doesn’t reduce in the pressure cooker; perhaps I’ll use a little less fluid next time; but I actually prefer a less sludgy consistency to my soups so for me it was perfect. The recipe suggests swirling some crème fraiche through the soup to garnish but all I got were little floating blobs of the stuff all refusing to swirl so I will probably substitute that with cream. Any excuse for adding cream is a good one in my book and nettle soup is no exception. I only hope I can get down there and gather a few more before they’re gone. 

Ingredients

Method

1. Strip the nettle leaves from the stalks wash thoroughly and leave to drain. Save any flowers for garnishing later. 
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and sauté until soft.
3. Add the carrot, potato, nettles and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the potato is soft.
4. Allow to cool slightly then pour into a blender and whizz until smooth or, for a thicker soup, use a stick blender.
5. Garnish with crème fraiche and nettle flowers and serve with warm crusty bread.
   

Pressure Cooker Method

• Set the pot to SEAR/SAUTÉ and preheat for a couple of minutes. 
• Strip the nettle leaves from the stalks wash thoroughly and leave to drain.
• Melt the butter, add the onion and sauté until soft. Turn off SEAR/SAUTÉ.
• Add the carrot, potato, nettles and stock, close the lid and set to PRESSURE.
• Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes then quick release. 
• Allow to cool slightly then pour into a blender and whizz until smooth. 
• Reheat and garnish with crème fraiche and nettle flowers.
• Serve with warm crusty bread.