Nettles Soup

This recipe is from Deborah Madison's book, Local Flavors.  If you don't have this book, I recommend it.

• A plastic veg. bag filled with nettle leaves
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 C sliced onion or scallion
• 1 small potato, thinly sliced
• 6 C chard leaves, thinly sliced (we subbed spinach and lettuce)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 C veggie stock, chicken stock or water (we used veggie stock)
• 1/2 C cream

1.  Bring 3 !Q water to a boil.  plunge nettles into a bowl of cold water and swish back and forth, then  drop into boiling water for 2 mins.  Drain.  Chop coarsly, discard large stems.
2.  Melt butter in wide soup pot and add onion and potato.  Cook over med heat, stirring occassionally, until translucent.  Add chard, 1 1/2 t salt, and the stock.  Bring to boil.  Add nettles.  Simmer until potato is completely soft, 15 - 20 mins.
3.  Puree the soup until smooth, then return to stove.  If stems did not chop up, pass through food mill.  Add the cream, heat until hot, then taste for salt.  Season well with pepper and serve plain or with whole wheat croutons browned in butter.

This is a surprisingly hearty soup!