Eutopos Stinging Nettle Soup

Serves 4-6, 2 with lots o' leftovers

2          C         Prepared Stinging Nettles

1          ea        Sweet Onion, preferably Mayan or Walla Walla

4          ea        Russet Potatoes, or 6 ea Red Potatoes, or 6 ea Yukon Golds

4          ea        Garlic Cloves

1          box      Chicken Broth, preferably Imagine or Trader Joe's

3-4       T          Bacon fat or Butter

1          T          Fresh Thyme (from a few sprigs)

To Taste          Kosher Salt

To Taste          Cracked Black Pepper

To Taste          Ground Nutmeg

1          pat       Sweet Creamery Butter

Garnish           Sour Cream & a few thyme leaves

Special Equipment:  Scissors, slotted spoon, Immersion or regular blender.

To prepare stinging nettles:

After collecting nettles in the forest using gloves and covered forearms, bring home and bring a big pot of water to a full boil.  Keep gloves on, use a scissors and hold each nettle stem, cutting off the leaves directly into the water.  Get about 20 leaves in the water, then simmer for three to four minutes.  With slottled spoon, lift out of water to colander & drain in sink.  Do this in a few batches.  The water will be very ruddy by the last batch, but the sting will still be removed!

Let your prepared nettles drain for a bit.

On to soup making...

Remove leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme.  This always takes a few more moments than expected.  Please don't just run your fingers over the hard stems of the thyme, it's best to pluck each leaf off the stem (lessens early release of essential oil).

Peel & small dice sweet onion.  Peel potatoes, rinse under water, then medium dice.  Peel garlic, remove germ & slice thinly.  I always remove the green germ from the inside of the garlic for gastrointestinal & culinary reasons.  Just nick off the hard stem, slice down the middle of the clove & use the tip of your knife to lift out the germ from each half.  If you don't want to, go ahead & just smack that poor garlic to death like all the superstar chefs do.    

In large soup pot, bring bacon fat (or butter) to a nice bubble.  Add onion and sauté for a few minutes, making sure not to burn. You'd think this is a no-brainer, but dang if that onion doesn't "burn" on a dime in bacon fat.   Season with a bit of salt & pepper.  Add stock, potatoes & garlic.  Slowly simmer for 15 minutes.  

Add nettles, nutmeg & thyme.  Simmer for another 15 minutes. 

Now comes the fun part!  Remove pot from stove to countertop.  If using an immersion blender, just immerse & blend away.  This soup will puree quite nicely, no need to strain or remove the solids.  Should take about 3 minutes, make sure to get all the potato creamed out.

If using a regular blender, ladle a bit into the blender, place cover on top, blend, then pour into another soup pot.  Should take about four batches to fully blend soup.  Remember not to fill that blender up - hot soup all over the countertop and your person is never a fun experience.

Return blended soup to stove, reheat over low, low heat.  Taste your creation.  Adjust seasonings by adding a bit more salt, pepper or nutmeg, according to your taste buds.  Add a good pat of butter.  Stir gently.

You are done! 

Serving:

Ladle your soup into bowls, add a dollop of sour cream (don't freak, it will drop to the bottom of bowl.)  If you want to make it pretty, really stir that sour cream in a separate bowl, then use a spoon to make your pretty little swirl on the top of the soup.  Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves. 

Serve with crusty bread.