February 13, 2010: Zucchini Soup with Swiss Chard

I had a bunch of Swiss chard in the fridge but didn't feel like sauteing it this time. So, I found a recipe for inspiration, took the soup pot out and got to work. Although the main vegetable in this recipe is zucchini*, I used the entire bunch of chard, including the stems. I used onions, ghee (clarified butter found in Indian markets and some super markets, such as Whole Foods), turmeric, ground toasted cumin and ground coriander to create the palette of flavors. After the vegetables were done, I pureed the soup in my Cuisinart. It made for a nice, light dinner... with a toasted slice of Whole Wheat Bread with Walnuts (February 12, 2010).

ZUCCHINI SOUP WITH SWISS CHARD

1 bunch Swiss chard, thoroughly rinsed
2 T ghee
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t ground toasted cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth**
2 pounds zucchini
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

With a sharp knife, cut the chard leaves away from their stems. Stack the leaves and cut them into a chiffonade; reserve. Cut the stems crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat the ghee and oil in a heavy soup pot over low heat. Add the onions and Swiss chard stems and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the spices and cook, continuing to stir, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini to the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat; add the Swiss chard and cover the pot. Let it stand for 5 minutes to wilt the leaves. Puree the soup, in batches, in your blender or food processor. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

*I broke one of my cardinal rules, namely only buying produce that is in season. I bought the zucchini at my farmers' market, so it had to be local and seasonal, right? Wrong! Not all "farmers" represented at the market are the real McCoy. There are some sellers who get their produce from downtown wholesale produce marts and there is no telling where that produce is grown. My guess is the zucchini I purchased was from Mexico and wasn't organic. None of the bona fide organic, local farmers have sold a zucchini in quite a few months. My advice here is it's good to get acquainted with the who's who at your local farmers market so you're sure to be getting local and organic.

So, I cheated this time because I wanted to make this soup recipe. However, almost 100% of the time, I buy in-season produce because I like to celebrate Mother Earth's natural rhythms. Maybe a pear tastes even better not only because it was plucked from a local tree in the Autumn and picked at its peak, but because of the year-long anticipation of that first, juicy bite.

**Miso might work well in this recipe. I think I'm going to give it a try next time.