Stinging Nettle Soup

This soup is inspired by a recipe from Matt Tebbutt's Cooks Country. Yes, this cookbook was the source of the Pheasant Phlop. Fortunately, this recipe did not end in disaster, and made good use of an ingredient I had never cooked with before in stinging nettles. Be sure to handle the nettles with gloves prior to blanching them in water to avoid a stingy situation.

Stinging Nettle Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 leeks, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 thyme sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large red potatoes, diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 bunch stinging nettles, leaves only (handle with gloves), blanched in boiling water for one minute and cooled in ice water (this will remove the stingers, making the nettles safe to handle)
  
• 2 loosely packed cups spinach leaves
• creme fraiche, for serving

Directions:

1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. Once butter has melted, add onions, leeks, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add potatoes and stock. Let simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Add spinach and nettles, and let wilt for approximately one minute.
5. Puree soup with a stick blender and taste for salt and pepper.
6. Serve soup in bowls with a dollop of creme fraiche.