SERVES:4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Cream of nettle soup is often the first recipe a new nettle forager (or farmers’ market explorer) will try out. Many available recipes end up muting the nettles’ delicate flavor and vibrant color. We wanted to create a soup that coaxed out and highlighted the unique, subtle character of the nettles. Recipes that called for simmering them along with the other ingredients, sometimes for as long as half an hour, produced soups that looked and tasted muddy. Those that simply blanched the nettles resulted in the loss of much of their vivid color. So we went with a tried-and-true method for the greenest greens: We blanched the nettles quickly and shocked them in ice water. Next, for the base and thickener, it turned out that less was more: Too much broth distracted, water alone lacked depth, and cream dramatically dulled the nettle flavor. We landed on a mixture of broth and water, which we infused with nettle flavor by using it as our blanching liquid. Potatoes are a commonly used thickener for nettle soup, but their flavor was so overwhelming that tasters called the result “Green Potato Soup.” We hit on a clever trick: A small amount of Arborio rice, cooked in the broth, thickened the soup but had a neutral flavor. Tasters loved the delicacy of the soup but had one qualm: Some swore the soup was “stinging” them. After some research, we found that while the stinging chemicals were completely deactivated, the sharp hairs had avoided full pulverization and were irritating some mouths; this was easily fixed by straining the soup after we pureed it. We drizzled a bit of rich, tangy crème fraîche over the top, sprinkled on nutty, crunchy pepitas, and ended up with a beautiful green soup with the essence of nettles. Always use thick kitchen gloves when handling fresh nettles to avoid being pricked by their fine hairs. 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.
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
- Salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup Arborio rice
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup roasted, salted pepitas
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 ¼ teaspoon 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.
