Middle Eastern Chard And Lentil Soup

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 1 cup dark mini-lentils (such as Spanish pardina or Egyptian, Ethiopian, or Indian whole masoor dal)
• 2 quarts light chicken stock (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium potato peeled, and sliced paper thin
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 large Swiss chard leaves
• 1 pound leafy greens (such as spinach, dandelions, arugula, watercress, beet greens, kale, or a mixture)
• 1/4 cup roughly-chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Wash and pick over the lentils. Place lentils in a saucepan and cover with the stock or 2 quarts water salted with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that surfaces. Add the potato, partially cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, slowly brown the onion in the olive oil. Meanwhile, wash, stem, and roughly shred the greens. (You should have about 1 packed quart.) Add the cilantro and garlic to the skillet and sauté for a minute or two, then stir in the greens and allow them to wilt, covered.

Scrape the contents of the skillet, including the oil, into the saucepan and continue cooking another 20 minutes, or until thick and soupy. Stir in the lemon juice and serve hot, lukewarm, or cool.

This recipe yields 8 servings.