BACK TO RECIPE PAGE

Heidi and Tracy's Immune Soup with Nettles

1 Whole Chicken

A handful (or approx 3 Tbsp of each) of the following dried herbs:

black fungus
goji berries
astragalus root
dried wild yam
3-6 cloves fresh garlic, or to taste
3" piece of fresh ginger, cut into coins
good quality salt to taste

In a stock pot add all the above ingredients along with fresh, cold, clean water to cover the chicken by approximately 2 inches. Stay close by as you bring the water to a boil and remove the scum that rises to the top. Don't walk away too soon and forget this step, it effects the flavor if the impurities are allowed to boil back down into the broth. Once you've removed the impurities, add any dry culinary herbs of your choosing to taste. Thyme and oregano are two favorites. Allow the stock to simmer for 1 1/2 hours, cool and refrigerate. Skim off some fat if there is a lot and set aside for another use. Make sure to leave a thin layer of fat because it will house much of the flavor of your stock. Heat the soup to restore a liquid consistency that will then allow you to strain and catch the solids. You can through away all the herbs, garlic and ginger or set aside them aside with the chicken once you've carefully removed all the bones. 

In a separate saute pan add:

2-3 Tbsp olive oil 
2-3 Tbsp butter  
1 large onion, chopped  
4 cloves of garlic, minced  
a handful of fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced  
1 Tbsp of fresh ginger, grated

Saute over medium heat until onions and garlic are translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the aromatic mixture to the stock pan along with fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Right before serving add the cooked nettles (recipe follows below) and cooked chicken, warm, serve and swoon.

Nettles

Harvest and clean the nettles, at your favorite wild spot or farmer's market (some food coop's carry them too). Remember to be very careful when doing this, there is formic acid in the needles so you'll want to wear protective gloves.

Next steam the nettles in about an inch of water in a pan with a tightly fitting lid until they are wilted. Drain, let cool and roughly chop. The nettles should be added right before serving so that they are not over cooked.