Best Swiss Chard And Potato Soup Recipes

SWISS CHARD AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Place bacon in a heavy 4-quart saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water, and cook over medium heat until water evaporates. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté until lightly browned. Drain, leaving 2 tablespoons fat in pan.
• Add onion and garlic to oil in pan and sauté over low heat until soft and barely golden. Add potatoes and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
• If using the eggs, poach them, drain, trim any ragged edges, and set aside.
• Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl, and roughly mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Return potatoes to liquid in pot, and stir to dissolve them.
• Add chickpeas, reserved bacon, chard leaves and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, until leaves wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to warm soup plates. If using the eggs, add one to each plate. Top with chopped cilantro and a drizzle of the remaining olive oil.

BACON, SWISS CHARD, POTATO, AND VEGETABLE SOUL-SATISFYING SOUP

Steps:

• I think it's easier to cut bacon when it's just out of the freezer. Anyway, cut the bacon across the strips, cutting it into small cross-sections of bacon strips. Add the bacon to a heavy-bottomed large soup pot over a medium flame. Render the bacon fat, stirring frequently to keep it from burning to the bottom of the pan. Once the bacon is crispy (but not burnt), remove it to a papertowel lined bowl/plate with a slotted spoon.
• Into the hot, delicious bacon fat add the carrots, celery, onion, swiss chard stalks, and bay leaves. Saute until vegetables soften, release liquid, and brown a bit (maybe up to 10 minutes or so?). The browning (but not burning) will develop additional flavor that will help to flavor your soup.
• Once the veggies have caramelized a bit, add the garlic, potatoes, and black pepper. Saute a few minutes until garlic is fragrant but not burnt.
• Add the swiss chard leaves, and stir well. The garlic and vegetable infused fat should evenly coat and cling to the contents on the pot. Add the chicken stock, enough to cover the veggies, cover the pot, and over a high flame bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer.
• Keep the soup at a bare simmer for 30 - 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are done to your liking. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. At this point, you can enjoy the soup as is, or you can use an immersion blender (or the tool of your choice) to further meld the flavors.
• Serve hot how you like it. With the crunchy bacon pieces, crusty bread, drizzled with a little olive oil, topped with a dollop of sour cream, dusted with a fresh turn of black pepper--the options are endless.

POTATO, SWISS CHARD, AND BREAD SOUP (ZUPPA DI PATATE, BIETOLE, E PANE)

Steps:

• Pour enough cold water over the potatoes in a deep, heavy 4-quart pot to cover by three fingers. Salt the water lightly and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the water is at a gentle boil and cook the potatoes, covered, until they are tender but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, strip the chard leaves from the stems. Wash the chard in a sinkful of cool water, swishing it well and waiting for the dirt to settle to the bottom of the sink. Scoop the chard out with a wire skimmer or your hands; drain well in a colander. Cut the chard leaves into 1 1/2 inch strips and stir them into the water after the potatoes have been cooking about 5 minutes. Stir the bread into the pot after the chard has been cooking about 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and cook until the potatoes and chard are tender and the bread is falling apart, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and stir them into the oil. Sprinkle the crushed red pepper over the oil and cook until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pot. Stir well. Taste the soup and season with additional salt if you like. Ladle the soup into warm bowls, and sprinkle some of the grated cheese over the top of each, or pass a bowl of cheese separately.