Springtime Nettle Soup

Yesterday I made a terrific pot of Nettle Soup. For me, this is a quintessential Spring dish, as I only make it during that short time when the nettles first begin to come up and are tender and fresh. For those of you who have never encountered nettles before, beware! They are covered in prickly little hairs that will sting the heck out of you if you if you don't handle them carefully. Still, they are worth the danger-nettles are very tasty, and they are rich in Vitamins A&C, iron, potassium, managanese, and calcium.
There are lots of places in and around Olympia to harvest nettles, but for those of you that are too lazy or too cowardly, you can buy bags of organic nettles (like the ones pictured here) from Calliope Farm at the Co-op.  If you do harvest your own nettles, be sure to gather them in an area that is free of herbicides or other soil contaminants.
This Nettle Soup is a reworking of this recipe. It is fairly easy to make, and yields a soup that is very flavorful and unique. It looks a little spooky when it's finished- kind of shimmery and bright green, a little like a potion...you'll have to make it yourself to enjoy the creepy (and delicious) end product!

Springtime Nettle Soup

1 pound stinging nettles

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup uncooked brown basmati rice

8 cups salted broth

2 cups hot water (if needed)

juice of one lemon

pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the stinging nettles, and cook 3 minutes until they soften. This will remove the sting. (This works best if you have tongs or a large wooden spoon to push the nettles down into the boiling water. I just dumped the bags of nettles into the pot and poked at them with tongs, but if you are going to be harvesting/handling them at all, be sure to wear gloves). When they have finished their trip into the pot of boiling water, 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 and garlic. Cook until the onion and garlic until they have softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, broth, and chopped nettles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. If the soup gets too thick before the rice is fully cooked, you can add more hot water as needed, up to two cups. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender, and season to taste with lemon juice and pepper.