Ingredients:
4 cups nettles rinsed with boiling water and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Cups rice (uncooked)
2 eggs
1 sprig parsley, root and greens, chopped
1 stalk celery (with leaves), chopped
8 peppercorns, whole
4 cloves garlic, minced
Enough chicken stock to give the consistency you prefer. 2 pints?
Salt (to taste)
Garnish with Lemon Juice, Fresh Dill, Sour Cream
Method:
Carefully pick the tips (top 4 leaves and shoot) of spring
shooting nettles, a saucepan full will suffice.
Blanch the nettles in boiling water and drain quickly.
Place all the other ingredients except the stock, lemon
juice and dill in a large saucepan with the butter
Gently fry until slightly transparent.
Transfer all to a food mixer
Add the nettles.
Wiz until reasonably uniform in consistency, but not completely pureed.
Put back into the saucepan with the stock
Bring gently to the boil.
Serve:
With a good dollop of sour cream lemon juice and
fresh dill
Notes:
Nettle is one of the first plants to show up in spring.
It contains many valuable nutrients including vitamin C.
It is a widespread weed growing practically everywhere people allow it to grow.
The best for soups and salads are the youngest upper two or four leaves.
Do not make this soup after June, as nettles then start to form oxalic acid and can cause tummy ache.