Recipe

Nettle soup – a traditional Swedish spring soup

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 liters of freshly picked, diluted stinging nettles

1 liter of water

2 bouillon cubes (chicken cubes, if vegetarian you can use vegetable cubes).

1 tablespoon margarine

Possibly 3 tablespoons of flour (gluten free: rice flour or something similar)

Possibly 1 deciliter of cream (lactose free is to find in the shop)

Possibly 2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons chopped chives

4 boiled eggs (if the soup is a main dish, as the eggs are filling well)

A pinch of salt, (I also take a little freshly ground black pepper, possibly a little ground white pepper and a tiny pinch bit of the Ethiopian spice mix berbere.)

COOKING:

1. Pick the youngest and thinnest stinging nettles. You use the top of the nettle plant. Use leather gloves or dish gloves and preferably a pair of scissors when picking nettles, so that you don't have to clean away soil when you get home.

2. Remove any roots and rough parts. Rinse the nettles four times in plenty of water.

3. Boil half of the water in the recipe and lightly salt. Add the nettles, cook for 5 minutes. Strain off the cooking water and save it. Finely chop the nettles.

4. Fry margarine and flour in a pan and dilute with nettle spade. Crumble the bouillon cubes and dilute with the rest of the water. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the nettles and possibly the cream (but then the soup will be less green). Season the soup with salt and possibly a little sherry.

5. Serve it hot and freshly cooked with a couple of egg halves on each plate. Sprinkle some chives over it.

Feel free to serve with Walnut bread.

Have a tasty Swedish spring meal!

Birgitta and Catarina

At home with the Swedes (Airbnb) 

sillochfika.se

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