Nettles soup

Stinging nettles. 

The name suggests why many people do not prepare nettles at home - who will dare to clean nettles with bare hands? Many otherwise brave men and women won't. I remeber the wild swans fairy tale Granny read me when I was little. I still remeber how I sympathised with the little girl who had to spin and weave eleven coats with long sleeves to break the spell made to her brothers. The pain caused by the stinging nettles was described as a burning fire. Pure little girl, I thought, only a great love and the desire to safe somebody's life can make me handle nettles. But time changed, I grew up and my unsatiable appetite makes me brave enough to prepare stinging nettles soup many times a year. 

For me nettles is a symbol of spring, I really wonder who and where has found nettles in this cold February - everything around is covered with snow, but anyway, I saw some packages of fresh nettles in the greengrocer's store and I took them. 

Nettle is rich in minerals and very, very rich in Vitamin K, it also boosts the immune functions of the body and is accepted as a remedy for rheumatism. I really like foods, which are tasty and healthy, they do not make me guilty when I pour myself a second serving. 

Ingredients:

• 5 handfulls of fresh nettles
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream for serving
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 200 g feta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Wash the nettles thoroughly and drain. Melt butter into a pot and sautee onion for 10 minutes.
Add the flour, stir for 2-3 minutes into the butter until color of the flour gets light brown. Add 4 cups of hot vegetable stock into the pot, add nettles, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée soup with a blender and add rice. Simmer for additional 15 minutes until rice gets soft. Add crumbled feta and serve with a spoon of sour cream.