Nettle Soup
This is a dense and delicious dark green nettle soup. Make it when nettles show up at the farmers markets in spring. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the nettles or they'll sting ya!
stinging nettles
1
pound
salt
2
teaspoons
extra virgin olive oil
1
tablespoon
white onion, diced
1
basmati rice
¼
cup
chicken broth
4
cups
salt and pepper to taste
 Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons of salt. Drop in the stinging nettles, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until they soften. This will remove most of the sting. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Trim off any tough stems, then chop coarsely.
  Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and stir in the onion. Cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, and chopped nettles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
