Nettle & Kale Soup

Well, not really nettles.  This morning looking at our CSA stock I looked in one of my favorite soup books, Love Soup to find a soup recipe.  I knew I wanted to use the kale and collard greens we had received on Sunday.  So I set out to make Nettle and Kale soup with some modifications.  The problem is the book made it seem that there are nettles at every farmer's market and grocery store.  This is not the case.  While there are nettle teas and other homeopathic remedies, you cannot just pick up nettles at your local food market regardless of how eccentric it is.  The reason for this is that nettles are weeds!  You can find them growing in the forest, but a store is not going to carry them because they sting.  You don't want them sitting next to your bundles of chard and kale because you might get stung by touching them.  So I had to modify the recipe, which is a normal occurrence in my house.  I actually asked my sisters food guru friend who is a chef and she said her very fancy and healthy restaurant in San Francisco only had one supplier of nettles.  So, if her restaurant did not have them from multiple sources, how was I supposed to find them.

Recipe
(You can chop everything coarsely because you are going to blend the soup.)
2 bunches of kale
1 bunch of collard greens
1 sweet potato
1 large yellow onion
2 cups of organic vegetable broth
3 limes
1 can of white beans rinsed
olive oil for sautéing the onions
salt & pepper to taste
Nonfat Greek Yogurt

In a big soup pot heat the oil and sauté the onions.  Saute on low heat.  It will take about 20-25 minutes to saute the onions.  While the onions are cooking boil 4 cups of water with the sweet potato and about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt for about 20-25 minutes.  When the potatoes and onions are done join them together in the soup pot.  Add the vegetable broth, kale and collard greens.  Once they are wilted a little bit add the beans.  Add salt and pepper for the initial cooking.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  When the greens are tender, but not brown.  Add the lime juice.  Take the soup off the heat and use the immersion blender to blend to soup.  You can use a regular blender, but I love my immersion blender.  It is an inexpensive ($25) purchase for how often I use it.  When the soup is all blended return it to the heat for a final heat up before serving.  Add some more salt, pepper and lime to taste.  Serve with a dolop Greek Yogurt.  We also put a little more salt and pepper on.

I made the following recipe modifications.  I added the beans for protein.  I also included limes instead of lemons which the recipe called for.  See the late note about the rating.  You already read about the nettles.  The recipe called for leaks as well, but we did not have any.  I do not think the soup was missing the leaks.

I apologize for there being no pictures.  My camera was dead and I did not realize it.

Rating 6 1/2- The rating came from it being very healthy, but missed some on the flavor.  The recipe called for lemons which we did not have, but I had a ton of limes.  I think lemon would have been better.  I also think I would have sauteed some cloves of garlic with the onions just to add a little sweet and savory flavor to the soup.  When sauteed right garlic has a beautiful sweet flavor.  According to Julia Child you need to not brown it but cook it slowly.  You can do this with onions as well.  It brings out such a lovely flavor.