This hearty soup gets its big flavors from the earthiness of porcini mushrooms. If desired, use canned white beans, such as cannellini, instead of the chickpeas, and kale or spinach in place of chard.
Feel free to add in additions of your own. We included a bay leave and about 1/2-pound of small baby potatoes that were quartered. And for some odd reason, those small potato pieces took much longer to get soft, so keep checking on them, if using.
The porcini broth was a bit underwhelming so The Hubs decided to enhance the flavor with some mushroom flavored Better Than Bouillon. When cooled, we covered and refrigerated the soup overnight, then reheated some for lunch the next day, it was delicious!!
Chickpea, Chard and Porcini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
- 3 cups hot water
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (may substitute vegan butter, such as Earth Balance)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- One (14 -oz.) can diced tomatoes, plus their juices
- One (14 -oz.) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups baby potatoes quartered (optional)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea or table salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 10 oz. (1 bunch) Swiss chard, stemmed and shredded
- Parmesan, hard goat cheese or other flavorful hard cheese, shaved (optional; may substitute vegan Parmesan)
Directions
- Soak the porcini in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, reserving the soaking water. Rinse the mushrooms briefly under cold water (they can be gritty), pat dry with a clean dish towel and coarsely chop. Strain the mushroom soaking liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or paper towels into a bowl.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the olive oil with the butter. When the mixture is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, rosemary, reserved mushroom soaking liquid, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the flavors meld, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the chard and cook until it is tender, about 5 minutes.
- If the soup seems too thick, thin it out with a little water. Discard the rosemary. Taste and add salt and/or pepper as needed.
- Ladle into warmed bowls, drizzle over some olive oil, and top with the cheese shavings, if using. Serve hot.
Recipe from the Washington Post
Accounting for Taste 