friday food files with molly watson: Barley white bean & chard soup (with a chile swirl).
This soup of barley, white beans, and chard briefly simmered in chicken stock is what my husband affectionately calls “peasant food.” It is hearty, warming, and filling. Oh, and pretty darn cheap, too.
Store-bought broth and canned beans make this soup perfect for a quick weeknight supper; homemade stock and dried beans cooked fresh turn the quick weeknight creation in a combination worthy of company – especially if you add a swirl of olive oil with browned garlic and chile in it. Traditionalists may prefer some grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
I like to make full use of the Swiss chard and cut out the ribs, chop them, and cook them up in the soup and then add the green leaves – cut into ribbons – at the very end.
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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
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tweeter: twitter.com/mollywatson
teacher: mediabistro.com/courses/cache/instr404.as
[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]
Yum! This looks delish!
This is a definite try of a recipe for me… looks absolutely fabulous!
i love ‘peasant food’…so homey, so full of love!
i love turquoise so.
it is my favorite.
here it is in my old house:
http://www.joyfullygray.com/2009/12/goodbye.html
love your blog :) beautiful.
Have to say huge thank you for the soup: notoriously fussy husband and child both loved it!
LOVE any variation of white bean and greens soups! I make a mean white bean and escarole, but I absolutely adore chard and need to try it that way next time.