This bowl is a pale, vivid green, deeply savoury, and finished with lemon, fresh parsley, chives, and an olive oil drizzle that breaks across the surface. Microgreens and toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

The technique is simple and the result is restaurant-quality. Aromatics sweated until soft, potato added for body and gentle grounding, nettles added last and cooked briefly to preserve their colour. Seventy percent of the soup blends smooth — the remaining thirty percent stays in chunks, creating a partial texture that is more interesting than a fully blended soup or a fully chunky one. Lemon zest, parsley, and chives go in off the heat.

In Chinese nutritional medicine, nettles move Blood and support Liver function — appropriate for the rising, expansive energy of spring. Potato grounds the upward movement without dampening. The combination prevents the soup from becoming too rising or dispersing, keeping it clinically balanced for patients who may still be depleted from winter. Lemon and the fresh herb finish are sour and aromatic — directly Liver-supportive. Climate note for Oregon: if a patient runs cold, add a thin slice of fresh ginger to the bowl at serving.