Swine Buster (aka Swine Flu Relief)

No, we don't have the swine flu!

Johanna and I love to cook together. It's a soul-healing past-time and we work really well as partners in the kitchen (and in our life together) so it makes for a peaceful time. Tonight we made an amazing spring soup I thought I'd share with you. Especially as all I hear on the radio these days is about people freaking out, worrying about the swine flu outbreak and will it get them and their families. My advice is don't freak dudes! 30,000 people die every year from regular everyday flu so 15 people (although I empathize with the families of those victims) is not any more than a normal outbreak.

So how can one chill with all this crazy talk on the air waves?

Simple.

Make this soup! It'll be fun, healthy, and damn tasty.
You can find most of these ingredients usually at your local farmers market.

Pulpit Alert!
Support locally grown and organic farmers! It'll taste and feel better.

Johanna and Lennie's Spring Soup:

1 large leek, cleaned, quartered and chopped fairly fine
1 large yellow onion, chopped into 1/2" squares
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 knob of ginger, grated

Saute the above ingredients in olive oil (several tablespoons worth) at medium to low heat until onions are translucent.

While that's slow cooking...

1 bunch of stinging nettles, chopped leaf-size (aka "nettles" - they sting a little when they're not cooked so use gloves)
1 bunch of watercress, chopped into 1" pieces (with stems)
1 bunch of mint, chopped leaf-size
Small handful of dill, chopped fine
Small handful of parsley, chopped fine

When onions are done, put in nettles and enough water to cover them. Keep at medium heat until steaming for 5 minutes. Taste nettles to be sure the sting is completely gone (should only take a few minutes).
Add mint and stir into mixture for a minute or two.
Add parsley and dill, stirring into the soup for another minute or two.

Take soup off heat.

Add 1 1/2 cans of Mackerel packed in lightly salted olive oil (we use VitalChoice brand). You could possibly substitute sardines packed in olive oil (don't go for soybean oil it doesn't taste good) or anchovies instead, but we found the Mackerel just rocks. Break the mackerel into small chunks and spread them throughout the soup. Don't forget to include the lovely fish-infused olive oil from the can!
Add the juice of half a squeezed lemon.

No seasonings are needed with all the herbs and the salty oil from the mackerel. We find that covers it beautifully.

Serve and heal!

Maybe next entry I'll talk more about music!

P.S. If you want to add some great flavor to your earthquake preparedness kit, try TastyBite!