Valencian Chickpea and Chard Soup

This is adapted from a recipe in “A Mediterranean Harvest,” by Jon Cohen and Paola Scaravelli. I find the soup delicious with or without the lemon and egg enrichment, so I’m making that optional.

Ingredients

• ½ pound (about 1 1/3 cups) chickpeas, rinsed and soaked for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves to taste, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 to 3 teaspoons sweet paprika, to taste
• 1 pound tomatoes, grated or peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice
• Salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 pound Swiss chard or kale, stemmed, washed and coarsely chopped, or 1/2 pound stemmed, chopped Southern greens mix

For the optional enrichment

• 2 egg yolks
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked rice

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    426 calories; 12 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 46 milligrams cholesterol; 512 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 4 to 6

Preparation

1. Drain the chickpeas and combine with 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the chickpeas. Measure the broth and add enough water to make 6 cups.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, parsley and paprika, and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes, until the chickpeas are thoroughly tender. Add the greens and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. When ready to serve, if using the egg and lemon, beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl. Making sure that the broth is not boiling, whisk in a ladleful of broth from the soup. Turn off the heat under the soup and add the mixture back into the soup while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. The eggs should not curdle but should cloud the soup.
4. Spoon a few tablespoons of rice into each soup bowl and ladle in the soup. Serve hot.

• Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 2 up to a day ahead. Reheat to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.

About 3 hours