Finally, the long-awaited warm green spring has arrived! Young greens are in a hurry to grow around: leaves are blooming on trees, sprouts are making their way out of the ground, kitchen gardens delight summer residents with the first harvest of vitamin greens! Green onion feathers, the first sorrel for borschik, fragrant ramson ... and this is what ?! Nettle? Do not rush to determine the burning beauty in the weeds and pull out with the root! If nettle grew on your summer cottage - it's great! Why? And because of the nettle you can cook a lot of tasty and healthy spring dishes. With nettles you get very tasty, original salads and soups, they put it in green borscht, even in pies and fritters.
Young nettles are best suited for cooking: fresh, clean, it doesn’t “bite” much when picked, its leaves are tender, and vitamin C is twice as large in leaves of young nettle as in black currants.
In addition to ascorbinka, nettles are full of other nutrients, starting with vitamins (A, K, B1, B5), silicic and formic acid (thanks to which nettle and sting), and completing with microelements (calcium, potassium, iron).
Nettle is a real utility pantry. But too much to get involved in it, too, should not be, because nettle not only cleans the blood, but also, thanks to vitamin K, increases its coagulability.
It is possible to collect nettles for culinary purposes not only in April-May, but also all summer. Just pick not the entire stem, but only the very top: the first four leaves. And to nettle did not regret during the collection, wear garden gloves. And, of course, we collect nettles not by the road, but in ecological clean places: in the village, in the forest, on our own plot.
Gathered? And now let's cook the spring nettle soup!
Ingredients for young nettle soup
2-2, 5 liters of water or broth:
- 3-5 medium potatoes;
- On request - 1 small carrot (although soup with nettles is good and without carrots);
- 3-4 hard boiled eggs;
- Bunch of young nettle (200g);
- You can add other greens in the garden — green onions, parsley, dill;
- Salt to taste;
- For serving - sour cream.
How to cook nettle soup
As a basis for nettle soup suitable as water, and broth, chicken or meat. Soup on the water will be easier, on the broth - nourishing. If you are cooking in broth, we will boil chicken or meat in advance (put it in cold water, bring to a boil, drain the first water, pick up a new one and cook it until soft). You can cook the meat or chicken separately and then add it to the finished soup.
Put a pot of water or broth on the fire. While boiling, wash and clean the potatoes and carrots. We will cut the potatoes in small pieces, and the carrots in circles, and put them in boiling water. Cook on medium heat under the lid for 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, and in the meantime prepare the greens.
Whatever the nettle, the leaves should be washed from dust. We touch them, if necessary, put in a bowl filled with cold water for 5-7 minutes. It is not worth pouring water out of the bowl, so that the dirt settled on the bottom does not fall on the green again - it is better to catch nettles, put them in a colander and rinse under running water.
Then again put the nettle leaves in a bowl and pour boiling water so that they do not sting and you can calmly chop them for soup.
The rest of the greens (onion, parsley, dill) also hold in cold water, and then rinse under the tap. Greens are the basis of nettle soup.
Add the greens to the pan with the potatoes and carrots, salt to taste and cook for another five minutes. Nettle soup is ready.
Serve nettle soup fresh by putting a hard-boiled egg (in slices or halves) and a spoonful of sour cream in the plates. Try it and nettle soup will be one of your favorite spring dishes!
