Stinging Nettle Soup, Ukrainian Style!

I have recently made an unusual soup - an old gem from the motherland via my great-grandmother. Stinging nettle soup. Yes. In case you have not heard of stinging nettle, it's a leafy plant, and it will sting your skin with nettles (containing formic acid, histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin) which will leave little itchy blisters that go away after 30 minutes or so. To my knowledge, this soup is popular in villages and countrysides in Ukraine and Russia. Probably because nettle grows wild where there is more greenery.

Since I was not able to find this plant on the East Coast, I ordered seeds a couple of years ago and planted them in my yard. Now, it grows pretty wild and requires a bit of "weed" control.

A bit more on the plant: The nettles loose their effect once put into boiling water so don't worry about stinging your tongue (but I do recommend using latext or garden gloves when handling them fresh)! Nettle also has medicinal value and contains lots of vitamins and minerals. This leafy plant has been used for cooking and medicine for many ages. Native Americans are among many cultures who use/used this plant for culinary and medicinal purposes.

For additional information, you can visit this page I found: More on Stinging Nettle

Stinging Nettle Soup

Ingredients

- A hefty bunch of young stinging nettle leaves & stalks
- Chicken/ Pork/ Beef - the meat choice is up to you! I used pork this time, but I prefer chicken
- About 5 hard boiled eggs
- About 3 large potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large onion
- Sunflower seed oil (if you do not have this, you can always use olive oil)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- A dollop of sour cream

After filling the cooking pot with water, add the meat of your choice, and start cooking it while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Adding salt at the
beginning will also bring out the flavor. The longer you cook the meat, the nicer broth you will have!
Next you can start boiling your eggs, of if you already have them done, dice them into cubes. Set aside.
Cut off the ends of the nettle plant and mince. Set aside.
Next, dice the potatoes into small cubes and add them to the broth, which should be coming close to a boil.


While you wait for the meat and the potatoes to fully cook, take 2 large carrots and grate them.
Next, dice a large onion into small cubes.
Take the carrots and the onion, and saute them in a large flying pan until golden brown (using sunflower seed oil)
Next, add the carrots and onion to the soup.
Making sure that the potatoes are tender, you can then add the eggs, and lastly, the nettle.
Taste for flavor and salt. If you feel like there is not enough salt, add a bit more, stir, and taste. (I rarely use measurements).
Finally, pour the soup into a soup bowl, and add a dollop of sour cream!
Enjoy!

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