Easter Dinner Part 2 - Tatiana's Nettle Soup

I had to run an errand and was at the home of my singing group's director, Tatiana Sarbinska . This meant enjoying the usual Bulgarian hospitality of good food and company. Today, though, I got a special treat and Tatiana gave me some nettles and young fresh garlic straight from her garden. We were talking while she cut them for me. Picture below shows the nettles and garlic after being washed. She had some nettle soup on the stove and it smelled so good my indecision over what to have with the rabbit vanished right away.
She also gave me some homemade tomato sauce, sort of a cross between ketchup and chutney and very good, with directions to put about half of it in the soup. So I did.

Tatiana's Nettle Soup
(makes 6 cups; recipe reflects what I used)

6 c stock (I used stock from my braised pork bones)
1 qt nettles, leaves pulled and stems chopped well (use gloves when doing this! They are called stinging nettles for a reason!)
Tops from one bunch of leeks, sliced about 1/2" thick
3 fresh young garlic plants (stems and bulb), sliced into 1" lengths
1/2 c cooked rice, steel cut oatmeal, or other grain (I used cooked millet)
3/4 c chunky fresh mild tomato salsa (I think this is the closest you will find to Tatiana's wonderful Bulgarian sauce)
1/2 t celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the nettles, leek, garlic, and grain. Boil until the leeks are soft. Add the salsa and spices. Simmer another 15 minutes or so and remove from heat. Serve hot. Picture below shows finished dish.

Eating Notes: This is surprisingly filling (which is why we ended up not eating the vegetables from Easter Dinner Part 1). The nettles add a sharp tone and complexity that is well balanced by the hint of tomato from the sauce.