Jun

24

Zucchini and Swiss chard soup

June 24, 2009 | 3 Comments

This year my garden is fantastic. I should really thank my husband and my child for the efforts they put in, and the great results they achieved. As some of you might know I find myself full of zucchini and zucchini flowers everyday.  While I’ve decided to let “some” of the flowers go, I still have to find a way to eat my zucchini, and at the same time not get tired of them. So far I prepared fried zucchini flowers, pasta with flowers and zucchini, zucchini in tegame, risotto with zucchini flowers, zucchini salad, zucchini in carpione and so on. The recipe I liked the most though, is this simple zucchini and Swiss chard soup that I often make for my son. He loves vegetable soups, especially if I turn them into a minestrina with small pasta. This latest soup is one of his favorites, so as long as we have fresh zucchini in the garden I’ll prepare it often.

To make the soup I use red or white onions bought at my local farmer. The Swiss chard and zucchini from my garden. I cook the vegetables just until soft, to save as many vitamins and minerals as possible, and then I blend them. I love the vivid green color, and the intense vegetable flavors of this soup. I like it simple like this, but it can be enriched by substituting 1 cup vegetable broth with 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk. To round off the taste I add a pinch of turmeric powder. Turmeric is an interesting spice which is considered the king of spices by the Ayurvedic medicine. It has many curative properties as it helps detoxify the liver, purify the blood, and promotes good digestion. It possesses powerful anti-inflammatory properties as well.

Zucchini and Swiss chard soup

Ingredients:

For the soup:
1 cup finely chopped white onion
4 medium zucchini coarsely grated, about 6 heaping cups
20 leaves Swiss chard thinly sliced, stems removed, about 2 cups
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. sea salt
4 cups light vegetable broth*
4 slices of whole wheat bread for topping (optional)**
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

For the broth:
5 cups water
1 small carrot
1 celery stalk
1/2 small white or red onion
1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation:

For the broth:
Put the water, the salt and the vegetables in a pot. Cover and let it simmer at medium heat for about 30 minutes.

For the croutons:
Eliminate the bread crust, and cut the slices in cubes. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick pan, and add the cubed bread. Toast the cubes until golden brown.

For the soup:
Warm up the oil in a pot, then add the onions, and sauté them until tender, about 7 minutes.
In the meantime grate the zucchini, and add them to the onions. Cook them for 5 minutes.
When the zucchini are getting soft, add the Swiss chard, 4 cups broth, the turmeric, and cook for 3 more minutes. Blend the soup until creamy. If the soup is too thick, add some more broth. If it’s too liquid, let it simmer until it reaches the desired consistency.
Serve your soup topped with croutons, if you like.

Note:
* If you want a richer soup, substitute 1 cup vegetable broth with 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk.
** For a gluten free recipe use gluten free bread.

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Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. Linda on June 24, 2009 5:41 pm

    This sounds great-can’t wait to try it! I have finally convinced my son (who is the chef gardener in my house) to only plant one zucchini plant for us and it works out well.

  2. Brenda Tucker on July 2, 2009 8:51 am

    We tried this receipe. It’s relatively easy to make and while I didn’t have freshly made croutons (as in the recipe), I compensated by sprinkling fresh parsley as a garnish with my store bought croutons. What a treat!

  3. Ray Friedmann on August 27, 2009 10:26 pm

    Thanks for the idea, The soup turned out great, my daughter liked it as well and she does not usually eat chard. I added a splash of balsamic and I had used some zucchini that I had grilled yesterday. I think it gave the soup a slightly smokey taste.

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