Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, this soup is easy to make, yet it is deliciously flavoured with simple ingredients, it is also light which makes it an ideal starter. Another thing is that you could make the soup with the whole Swiss chard or, if you like experimenting, use the leaves only for the soup and reserve the stalks for a delicious starter called Dloo bi tahini  (SwissChard Stalks With Tahini Sauce).This recipe is included in the Starters section.

Swiss chard is rich in multiple nutrients and more importantly is suitable for a healthy diet. I included, at the bottom of this recipe, references to 2 websites that will tell you more about it.

Swiss Chard

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 550 g / 1lb¼ oz Swiss chard washed thoroughly. Drain excess water cut off and discard the dirty bottom ends of the stalks, then chop into strips across about 2 cm /  ¾ inch.
• 150 g / 5oz green lentils rinsed
• 1 medium onion finely sliced
• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
• 100 ml / 3½ fl oz olive oil
• 1.75 litres/ 3 pints water 
• 3 tbsp lemon juice or more to taste
• Seasoning: salt and freshly milled black pepper
• Spring onions one onion per person (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

You also need one medium sized and one large sized deep pan. 

Method

1. Place lentils in the medium-sized saucepan, cover with water about 800ml / 27 fl oz and a good pinch of salt. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes only, half the cooking time required, then drain them reserving the cooking liquid for the soup.
2. Meanwhile, heat up half of the olive oil and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes then add half of the crushed garlic and fry for further 1mn. Add Swiss chard into batches coating them with the garlic-onions mixture.
3. Now add the drained lentils, give the whole thing a good stir, season then add the reserved liquid from the lentils and the remaining water.
4. Bring to boil and let it simmer for roughly 20 minutes. 5 minutes before the finishing time, stir the lemon juice into the remaining garlic and oil, mix thoroughly and add the mixture to the soup. Taste again and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Serve bubbling hot, and if you like top off with finely chopped spring onions. Some people like a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Variation

You can make it richer. Take 20 g / ¾ oz of plain flour, season and mix with enough water to make a small quantity of dough. Roll out to a thin layer about 2mm/ 1/10 inch and cut it into squares about 2 cm/ ¾  inch or any shape you like and drop them into the Swiss chard mixture as soon as it starts boiling. If you opt for this, increase the amount of water by 300ml/ ½ pint.

Swiss Chard Soup

References:

 http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16

 http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/vegetables/swiss-chard-nutrition-facts.cfm