Irish nettle soup

Foraging diaries # 2: Stinging nettles.

Last Winter I picked some nettles for a creamed nettle recipe but the end result was far from what I was expecting. I made 2 mistakes: I picked the whole plant and I picked the wrong nettle.

You may be surprised to know that there are 2 plants that look exactly the same: 

• Common or Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and
• Dead nettle (Lamium sp). 

Alas, they are neither the same plant, nor they belong to the same family or species. Although physically identical, they have 3 different characteristics. Dead nettle don't sting, don't have a strong flavour and don't have medicinal properties. Common nettles do!

This time I did my research before foraging and also discovered that you should only pick the top of the plant, the top 4-5 young leaves. 

Needless to say that as they look the same there is only one way of knowing which is which, and it's a painful way indeed. Although you should pick nettles with gloves, you'll need an ungloved hand to find the common nettle first... I am sure I picked good nettles because hours later my hand was still tingling.
This nettle soup from Darina Allen's book is very easy to make, it's cheap and it tastes rather lovely. Nettles have a taste similar to spinach. 
I forgot to take a picture of the soup in the plate as I was too eager to eat it!

Serves: 2 persons.

Ingredients:

• 15g butter
• 35g onion, chopped
• 50g potato, peeled and chopped
• 500ml chicken stock
• 50g nettles, washed
• 50ml milk

Method:

1. Melt the butter and add the onion and potato. Toss them in butter until they are covered.
   
2. Cover and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 min or until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.
3. Add the stock, salt and pepper and boil until the vegetables are just cooked.
   
4. Add the nettle leaves and simmer uncovered for just a few minutes. Do not overcook or the vegetables will loose their flavour.
   
   
   
   
5. Add the milk and blitz.
   
6. Correct seasoning and serve hot.