Definition: royal nettle

Nettle soup - recipe 1: young shoots with a soft green colour are the tastiest and most suitable for culinary use. In the past, nettles were prepared in the same way as spinach. In addition to nettle soup, nettles can also be used in cooking to make sauces, jellies, mustard, etc.

For 4 servings, you will need:

- 100 grams of nettle leaves (avoid fields that have been treated with pesticides),

- a pair of gloves (to pick them without getting stung),

- 3 teaspoons of crème fraîche,

- 2 eggs,

- salt,

How to proceed:

- Wash the leaves and boil them in water with a little salt for 10 minutes. Hard boil the eggs (10 minutes).

- Drain the leaves and blend them together with the hard-boiled eggs.

- Bring 2/3 litre of water to the boil, add the nettle leaves, eggs and cream, and season lightly with salt.

Nettle soup - recipe 2:

Choose the leaves at the top of the stems.

Rinse the nettles thoroughly, heat the butter and add the nettles to melt.

Once they have changed colour, add the water and diced potatoes; cook for 30 minutes; reserve some of the cooking liquid; blend in a food processor; add juice to achieve the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, add the oregano; add the crème fraîche: leave on a low heat.Prepare your croutons: slice the bread, rub each side with garlic, fry the croutons in a pan.

Serve the nettle soup in soup bowls.

Ingredients:

2 litres of water

500 g nettle leaves

do not include the stems!

500 g potatoes

butter or vegetable fat

cream

salt, pepper, oregano

garlic croutons.