ROASTED GARLIC AND NETTLE SOUP
I have cultivated a patch of Nettles in my veggie garden and a few Sunday’s ago I saw a recipe in the Independent by Susan Jane White for Nettle Soup so decided to make it and finally use up some of my fast growing Nettles.
I did manage to sting my leg with them, but after that once I donned my rubber gloves it was easy enough to handle them.
The Roasted Garlic gives a delicious flavour and we were all very happy with the finished soup.
I have frozen some of it ready for another day, I trust it will freeze OK, we will see!
I reheated it the next day for lunch also and it was perfect. You just have to be careful to heat it gently and not let it boil away as you will lose that beautiful vibrant green color.
As usual I changed the recipe slightly so here is what I did.
- 1 1/2 whole heads of Garlic
- extra virgin olive oil in which Chillies have been marinating
- 1 large Onion – diced
- a huge bunch of young Nettles, leaves taken off the stalks and washed well in lots of cold water
- 2 litres of Chicken Stock
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup frozen Petits Pois
Firstly, you have to roast your Garlic, so in a preheated oven, place your Garlic in a large foil square, splash over the oil and close it up like a big dumpling.
Place it in the oven and cook until it is very soft inside. My Garlic heads were big, so it took 50 minutes, but if yours are smaller it may only take 1/2 hour.
Leave aside to cool.
Saute the diced Onion in a saucepan with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
Put your cleaned Nettles into the saucepan with the Onion and stir around.
Add the stock and season with Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Don’t over cook it!!
Remove the pot from the heat and sprinkle in the Petits Pois, the heat of the soup will cook them.
Squeeze out the Roasted Garlic into the soup.
Blend the soup until it is lovely and smooth.
Remember when reheating to be very gentle as you don’t want to spoil the delicate taste of the soup and turn it a horrible grey color.
