Nettle Soup



na2na3 recommends: top nettle soup with chopped walnuts.

Nettle soup is a traditional Bulgarian spring soup. It is the first dish every Bulgarian student learns how to make because it is healthy, packed with iron and minerals and absolutely delicious. Also because nettle grows everywhere and is free to pick.
ingredients
3 cups fresh nettle (or 1 cup frozen)
1/2 cup rice
1 green onion stalk
1 green garlic stalk
1 egg
1/2 cup yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
method
Using scissors remove all nettle stems from the leaves. Discard the stems and wash the leaves.
Chop the green onion and garlic stalks.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pot on medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and stew them for a minute or two. Stir from time to time.
Add the nettle leaves to the pot, stir them and let them stew for five minutes.
In the meantime wash the rice. When the nettle starts changing color add the rice and stir till the rice become marble white.
Add some salt and pepper and 4 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for another 20 minutes.
In a small bowl beat the egg with some salt, then add the yogurt and mix well.
When the soup is ready, set it aside to cool down for about twenty minutes.
One spoonful at a time, mix some of the soup with the egg and yogurt. The idea is to equalize the temperature of the egg mixture and the soup without clotting the egg. So, be patient and whisk like crazy.
When the egg mixture is sufficiently warm, start slowly incorporating it into the soup. Again, patience is essential.
You now have a thick and beautiful nettle soup. Do not put a cover on the pot while the soup is hot, or else the egg will clot.