Name: Nettle Soup
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons crème fraîche; 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 6 ounces (12 packed cups) stinging nettles leaves; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 shallots , chopped; ¼ teaspoon table salt; ⅓ cup Arborio rice; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1½ tablespoons lemon juice; ⅓ cup roasted, salted pepitas

Why This Recipe Works

The prickly leaves from the nettle plant can be cooked and treated much like spinach. Cream of nettle soup is often the first recipe a new nettle forager (or farmers' market explorer) will try out. We wanted to create a soup that coaxed out and highlighted the unique, subtle character of the nettles. We started by blanching the nettles quickly and shocking them in ice water to preserve their green color. For the base, we landed on a mix of broth and water, which we infused with nettle flavor by using it as our blanching liquid. A small amount of Arborio rice, cooked in the broth, thickened the soup but had a neutral flavor. We loved the delicacy of the soup but had one qualm: The soup could cause a “stinging” sensation. We learned that while the stinging chemicals were completely deactivated, the sharp hairs had avoided full pulverization and could be irritating; this was easily fixed by straining the soup after we pureed it. We drizzled a bit of tangy crème fraîche over the top, sprinkled on crunchy pepitas, and ended up with a beautiful green soup with the essence of nettles.

Before You Begin

Always use thick kitchen gloves when handling fresh nettles, as their fine hairs can sting you or cause redness or itching. Be sure to set up the ice water bath before cooking the nettles; plunging them into the water after blanching ensures a brightly colored soup.

Instructions

Combine crème fraîche and 1 tablespoon water in bowl; set aside until ready to serve. Bring broth and 3 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Meanwhile, fill large bowl halfway with ice and water.

Add nettles to boiling broth mixture and cook until nettles are wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain nettles in fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl. Using rubber spatula, press nettles to release excess liquid; reserve blanching liquid. Transfer nettles to ice water and let sit until cool, about 3 minutes. Drain nettles and set aside.

Melt butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Add shallots and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in reserved blanching liquid, rice, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until rice is very soft, about 30 minutes.

Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Working in batches, process broth mixture and nettles in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer into clean pot and bring soup to simmer over medium heat. Adjust consistency of soup with additional water as needed. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual portions with crème fraîche mixture and sprinkle with pepitas before serving.