Chef in the Market May 3, 2008
Scott Dolich, Park Kitchen
PARK KITCHEN
NETTLE SOUP
MAKES 4 QTS
| Picked nettles | 8 qts |
| Yellow onions, slivered | 3 ea |
| Garlic, peeled whole | 1 head |
| Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered | 3 ea |
| Dry white wine | 1 cup |
| Vegetable stock | 2 qts |
| Olive oil | 2 cups |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
METHOD:
BE SURE TO WEAR GLOVES WHEN YOU PICK THE NETTLES. They don’t call them stinging nettles for nothing. Discard the nettle stalks. Blanch the nettle leaves briefly (10 seconds) in salted water, shock in ice water and squeeze the excess water out of them and reserve.
Sweat the onions and garlic in 3 Tbls of olive oil in a 6 qt sauté pan gently for about 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the wine and cook gently until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the potatoes, the vegetable stock and season liberally with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook till the potatoes are tender. Pull off the heat and cool completely. In batches, blend the potato mixture with the blanched nettles. While the mixture is spinning, emulsify the olive oil into it. Check for seasoning.
Heat the soup up in batches. Check for seasoning. Garnish can vary. Crab meat, shaved cheese and sliced ham all work well.