NETTLES STEW (chorba od koprivi)

If I had known before that nettle stew was so delicious, I would have included it in my menu a long time ago. Generally speaking, nettles are new to me and I'm happy to finally know how to use them.

Nettles are number one plant that contains lots of iron, so it's one of the best fighters against anemia. They have many healing properties and it is even said that when you come across nettles field, you should bow them as nettles are seen as health queen. I'll write another post about health benefits of the nettles since there is so much to say.

Nettles grow literally everywhere in Macedonia, it's no problem to find them. Spring is the best period to pick nettles.

First you need to pick nettles from pure nature, of course, you need to use gloves if you don't want your hands to burn. Nettles can also be bought on vegetable markets (pazar) in Macedonia. If you don't plan to use them right away, leave them in a plastic bag without washing. Nettles can stay fresh like this for about 10 days. If you want to use them much later, it is best to clean them from the stems and dry them.

Before use, fresh nettles are cleaned from the stalks and washed (use gloves).

Ingredients:

• 2-3 chopped spring onions
• 2 chopped carrots
• a few tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 handfuls of nettles (optional quantity)
• 4 tablespoons of rice (add more or less to taste)
• water as needed (I like it more dense)
• 1 chicken soup cube
• half a spoonful of vegetable seasoning (Vegeta)
• half a spoonful of paprika
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 full spoon of sour milk or sour cream

Preparation:

1. First fry the onions with the carrots for a few minutes, then add the rice. 
2. Fry a little more then add about 2 cups of water.
3. Add stock cube (chicken), vegeta and paprika and stir. Let it cook for about 20 minutes at medium heat, then add the chopped nettles and let it boil all together. Add more water if needed. I like it thicker and I don't add a lot of water. Consider that nettles only need 2-3 minutes of boiling so it's the best to add them to the very end.
4. When the rice is cooked, whisk the yolk with the sour milk aside and add it to the stew, mix and let it cook for a few more minutes.
5. Your nettles stew is ready. Let it cool a bit, then serve with a scoop of sour cream or sour milk.