Valencian Chickpea And Chard Soup Recipes

VALENCIAN CHICKPEA AND CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas and combine with 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the chickpeas. Measure the broth and add enough water to make 6 cups.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, parsley and paprika, and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes, until the chickpeas are thoroughly tender. Add the greens and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• When ready to serve, if using the egg and lemon, beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl. Making sure that the broth is not boiling, whisk in a ladleful of broth from the soup. Turn off the heat under the soup and add the mixture back into the soup while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. The eggs should not curdle but should cloud the soup.
• Spoon a few tablespoons of rice into each soup bowl and ladle in the soup. Serve hot.

CHICKPEAS WITH CHARD

Steps:

• Chop 1 bunch Swiss chard. Saute the stems with 1 each chopped onion and red jalapeno in olive oil over medium-high heat until softened, 3 minutes; season with salt. Add one 15-ounce can chickpeas (drained, liquid reserved); cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves; cook 30 seconds. Add the chard leaves along with the chickpea liquid and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; simmer until the chard wilts. Stir in the juice of 1/2 lemon.

VALENCIAN CHICKPEA AND CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Soak chickpeas in 1 quart of water for 4 to 6 hours or overnight; drain chickpeas and combine, in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, with 6 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour; drain, reserving broth and adding water to bring the liquid back up to 6 cups.
• Dry out pot and heat the oil over medium heat; cook onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, thyme, parsley, and paprika; stir.
• Add in tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add in chickpeas and broth; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until chickpeas are tender, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Add the chard, cover, and simmer until the greens are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes; turn off heat.
• If serving with the optional garnishes, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together, temper with a ladle-ful of broth (not boiling!), stir into soup, stirring vigorously so that eggs do not curdle, but rather clouds the soup.
• Spoon some rice into each serving bowl and top with soup.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEAS WITH CHARD

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until limp, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper and cayenne and sauté until they release their fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté for another minute, until darkened but not burned. (If tomato paste looks too dark too quickly, lower heat.)
• Add fennel, chard stems, carrot and turnip and continue to sauté until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and water to barely cover.
• Return heat to high if you lowered it and bring to a simmer. Partly cover pot, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until chickpeas are softened. Add more water if needed (this should be like a stew).
• Add chard leaves, apricots and preserved lemon to pot and continue simmering until chard is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season with more salt if desired, and serve garnished with cilantro and reserved fennel fronds.

SWISS CHARD AND CHICKPEA MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about three minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the leek. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic, stir for about a minute, and then stir in the water, tomato paste and the bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• Add the Swiss chard and the pasta to the soup, bring back to a simmer, and simmer another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Grind in some pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.