Recently my mum gave me a book called The Ultimate Book of Herbs by Readers Digest. At the beginning of the year I started a herbs course and I mentioned this to my mum. Mum thought it would be a good idea to give me the book a few months after I started the course. I’m so pleased she did. The book has been very useful and I’ve really enjoyed reading it.
In the book it lists a variety of herbs and how they can help the body. One of the herbs was nettles. Stinging nettles are a very versatile herb that can be used to treat a number of aliments. They have also been used throughout the ages.
The best time to pick nettles is in spring and autumn. They can be picked all year round though. The best nettles are the ones on the top of the plant. Nettles that are no taller than 10 inches are normally the tastiest. Personally I like to use thick gloves to remove the leaves and I take a large tupperware box with me to put the leaves in. Then I take them home and start cooking.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Large saucepan
- Colander
- Thick garden gloves
- Stirring spoon
Ingredients
- Nettles x 2 handfuls
- Garlic x 6 – 8 cloves
- Onion x 1 large
- Bone broth or chicken stock x 1 ltr
- Milk x 200mls (your choice)
- Oil for the pan
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Peel and slice the onion and set aside.
- Next peel and slice the garlic and set aside as well.
- Put the large pan onto a high heat and add oil to the base of the pan.
- When the pan is hot add in the onion and fry until it starts to soften.
- Once the onions have softened add in the garlic and fry for a further few minutes.
- Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
- If the pan gets to hot turn the heat down immediately and add a little water to the base.
- Pour over the bone broth or chicken stock and stir all these ingredients together.
- Turn the heat back up and bring these ingredients to the boil.
- Wash the nettles through the colander using the gloves to protect your hands.
- When the nettles have been washed add them to the boiling ingredients and turn the heat down to a simmer.
- Leave to simmer for two minutes.
- Add in the milk (your choice) and the salt and pepper to taste.
- Then remove from the heat and serve.
- Then enjoy.
Nettle and Garlic Soup was delicious. Nettles have a very earthy tasty which makes this soup very tasty. I served mine with a couple of chickpea flours wraps but you could have this with a crusty roll. All the ingredients in this dish are freezable so you could make a big batch and freeze it for another occasion. Plus it makes a great mid morning or afternoon snack too. However you decide to eat this dish, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 