Miserable day today. Cold, raining and windy. Like it was November already. Good day to grump around the house, really. Then I found beautiful swiss chard and leeks at the market. Instant inspiration. White bean swiss chard soup. This is an savoury soup, smoky from the bacon and earthy from the beans. Serve it with a bit of good bread and you have a meal in a bowl. A meal that warms from within. It’s even healthy. Loaded with legumes and dark greens. And it’s really not that much bacon after all.
white bean swiss chard soup
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch swiss chard stemmed and chopped
- 2 leeks - white and light green parts only, chopped
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 6 cups low or no-sodium chicken stock
- 2 19 oz cans white beans
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 Tbsp olive oil plus more to drizzle
- 1 pinch red chili flakes or Calabrian chilies
- juice of 1/4 lemon optional
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.
- Add the bacon and cook until beginning to crisp.
- Now add the leeks and cook over medium low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Next, add the stock, fresh thyme, white beans and chili flakes or Calabrian chilies and simmer 30 minutes.
- Finally add the swiss chard and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice if using.
- Adjust seasonings. I can’t tell you how much salt to add. It depends on how much salt is in your stock and white beans.
Notes
Tomatillo sauce is an easy way to jack up the flavour of roasted chicken breasts. Deglaze the pan with tomatillo salsa and fry it in a bit of chicken fat. Doesn’t sound very good when I put it that way but it is. Trust me. Chicken with tomatillo is a match made in heaven. If you wind up with leftovers, they make great tacos.
This recipe all about having things ready before you start cooking. In restaurant speak, that’s having your “mise en place” done. This recipe is dead easy if your tomatillo salsa at hand. And it’s better than most Mexican restaurants serve.
As always, you are cooking to an internal temperature. Time alone is not a reliable guideline. Cook the chicken to 165F. You have an instant read thermometer, right? If not, please get one. It’s probably the most important kitchen gadget there is…
roasted chicken with tomatillo sauce
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts air-chilled grain-fed
- 1 cup tomatillo salsa - recipe link below
- creole seasoning - recipe link below
- olive oil
- chicken stock as required
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Place an oven proof skillet in the oven to pre-heat
- Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and then season generously with creole seasoning.
- Roast, skin side up, for about 35-40 minutes. You want an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and then heat skillet over medium heat.
- When the skillet is hot, add the tomatillo salsa to the hot pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits in the pan.
- Simmer salsa for 3-4 minutes, adding stock to to adjust the consistency.
- Spoon sauce onto plate, top with the chicken and serve.
