- 8
- 10 mins
- 60 mins
Ingredients
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 1 t. salt, divided
- 2 T. plus 3 cups water, divided
- 1/4 C. arborio rice (I just used regular rice.)
- 1 bunch green chard (about 1 pound)
- 14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed
- 4 C. vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade (I substituted carrot juice for broth)
- Big pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 T. lemon juice, or more to taste
Preparation
Step 1
1, Heat 2 T. oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions & 1/4 t. salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 T. water & cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced & have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remainning 3 cups water & 3/4 t. salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover & cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.
3. When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover & cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender, but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
4. Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in a T lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. (I just let each person add own lemon juice, but it definitely NEEDS lemon juice). Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.