Seasonal Recipe: Spicy Chard Soup

It’s chard season. Give your summer a little kick with this tasty soup!

Ingredients

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos.

• 2 bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon harissa or other hot sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 lemon, halved
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups pita chips, coarsely crushed

Directions

Cut the chard stems into 1/2-inch pieces and the leaves into 1-inch pieces; keep separate. Toast the caraway and cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool, then grind in a spice grinder or transfer to a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chard stems and onion and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Clear a space in the pan, then add the tomato paste, harissa, garlic and ground spices. Cook 2 minutes, then stir into the vegetables. Add the chard leaves, chicken broth and 1 cup water, bring to a rapid simmer and cook until the chard is tender, about 10 minutes. Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 lemon and season with salt.

Mix the yogurt, the juice from the remaining 1/2 lemon and a pinch of salt. Divide the soup among bowls. Add the eggs, pita chips and a dollop of the yogurt mixture; drizzle with olive oil.

TIP: Toast and grind whole spices yourself. They’ll be much more flavorful than pre-ground.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine via FoodNetword.com
Photograph by Antonis Achilleos.