Saturday, January 1, 2011

Day 1 Dinner - Rainbow Chard and Lentil Soup


Rainbow Chard is definitely one of the prettiest vegetables in season right now, and whenever I see a good-looking bunch at the store I have to buy it, even if I've got no idea how I'm going to use it!  So, tonight I made a brightly-colored, cleansing soup with French lentils and a few tangy surprises! 

Rainbow Chard and Lentil Soup
serves 4 to 6

1 T olive oil
1 tsp. butter
1 large bunch Rainbow Chard, leaves chopped and stems finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup french lentils, rinsed
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
6 cups water or stock
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 orange
Juce of 1 lemon
1 Pomegranate, seeded

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add diced chard stems and garlic and saute until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add lentils, stir to coat with oil, then add the rosemary and water and bring to a boil.

Simmer soup until lentils are mostly cooked, about 15 minutes, then add the chard leaves and cranberries and allow to soften.  When the chard has wilted but is still bright in color, remove from heat.  Add citrus juices, season with salt and pepper, and stir. 

Ladle into bowls and top with pomegranate seeds and an extra sprig of rosemary if desired.

5 comments:

  1. that sounds like it is cooked in under a half hour? interesting...looked more complicated than that.

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  2. Definitely not complicated... although you have to make sure you cook the lentils enough before adding the greens, otherwise you end up with a brown ugly mess!

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  3. Shouldn't they be called "Freedom Lentils"???

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  4. hey, you have "two cloves" in the recipe - i'm guessing that means cloves of GARLIC?

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