Stinging Nettles Soup

Molly Watson/ Photo credit: Corey Taratuta / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

4-6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound stinging nettles
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoons unsalted non-dairy butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pound potatoes
• 6 cups vegetable broth, or water
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup vegan heavy cream, optional (unsweetened creamer from Oatly, Silk)
• Vegan sour cream, non-dairy yogurt, or​ horseradish, optional

Instructions

1. Wear gloves to handle the nettles; otherwise, you will get poked with the prickles which will cause itching. Rinse the nettles in cold running water if they are gritty, and set aside.
2. Peel and chop the onion. Everything will get puréed later, so don’t worry too much about how it looks.
3. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes.
4. While the onions cook, peel the potatoes and chop them up.
5. Add the potatoes and the broth to the onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until the potatoes are mostly tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the nettles and cook until they’re very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, plus the pepper and nutmeg.
7. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor in batches. For a silken, less fibrous texture, run the mixture through a food mill or sieve.
8. Stir in the non-dairy cream, if using. Season the soup to taste with additional salt and pepper if you like.
9. Serve the soup hot, garnished with dairy-free sour cream or yogurt, and horseradish.