Swiss Chard and White Bean soup- Yum!

CSA box- swiss chard, garlic, rosemary


I made this for Matt and myself this week and it was so good that I made it for my client, too! Adapted from a soups book by B. Katfa

1 bunch swiss chard
2 cloves garlic or 1/2 head green garlic ( from CSA)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 flat anchovy fillets ( optional for vegetarians!)
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cups cooked white beans with cooking liquid (I pressure cook my beans, about 30-40 minutes high pressure from dry beans with no soaking- Use the tops of your fresh onions in the water!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Best quality olive oil and parmesan reggiano for garnish

Chop the leaves and stems from a bunch of chard. Rinse to clean, but do not dry.
Warm olive oil over medium heat and then add garlic. Saute until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.
Stir in anchovy and rosemary- cook one minute more. Remove garlic cloves.
Add chard to pot and stir to coat with the oil mixture. Keep cooking until wilted and volume has reduced by about 2/3 rds.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer a few minutes and then add the beans. Warm thru and simmer until beans release a bit of their starch to thicken liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with a drizzle of best olive oil and parmesan reggiano.

Delish! And easy!

This recipe is an excellent example of the "layers of flavor" I mention so often in my cooking classes. It is what makes simple foods seem more complex.

1st- layer is the oil and the garlic
2nd- the anchovy and rosemary
3rd- the chard, broth and beans
4th- the drizzle of oil and grating of cheese

Look for layering in the recipes you use- if it's not there- figure out how to adapt the recipes to layering. It makes a difference!