Wild garlic & nettle soup
The season of bounty is here again! I remember back in Scotland we used to pick handfuls of sorrel and large bundles of wild garlic. Right in front of our door, a large morel mushroom used to erupt from the pink gravel! —Not that anyone picked it that close to drunken folk staggering past each night, but morels can fetch £ 300 a kg in London and their season is right now, which is a very good excuse to go for a walk. Tomorrow perhaps.
Meanwhile, here is an easy recipe to ring in the bounty of spring.
Wild Garlic & Nettle Soup
About the hardest bit is picking the nettles (with thick gardening gloves!). I advise to do it just after a good shower has washed away any potential bird shit, then stick the wet leaves in the microwave for 2 minutes to denature the toxin (or boil them, but note that most of the flavour will be lost to the water) before washing them briefly and stripping off the tough stalks. Only the young shoots or tips of the plants are tender enough to bother with.
1 onion; 2 cloves garlic; 1-2 tbsp olive oil; wild garlic: about 125g or 10-12 large leaves; nettles: about 1 cup worth after heating to denature the stinging poison; 1 raw potato, cubed; nutmeg; salt & black pepper; crème fraîche;
Sweat the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic then add the shredded wild garlic and wilt quickly. Add the nettles, potato and enough water to just cover. Simmer until tender (15-20 minutes) and add seasonings. Cool slightly, pureé with a soup stick (careful to keep the thing submerged unless you want to end up looking like the Green Giant) and add water to the desired consistency. Re-heat gently, adding crème fraîche and more seasoning to taste. Serve with a dollop of cream and finely chopped wild garlic leaves or chives or croûtons.
Tags: 'Round the World Recipes, Tag Index
Denni