Ideas for fall soups continue to dominate my thoughts as I comb My pantry and the farm stands for ideas for . If you ride your bicycle from The Greenporter Hotel to Southold you’ll run into KK Farms run by KK and Ira Haspel located on 59945 Main Road (Route 25). You’ll see KK, a willowy blond cycling back and forth from her roadside farm stand back to her farm stash. A farmhouse farm stand just in front of her home with tables displaying her freshly-harvested leafy greens and fresh cut flowers. It’s always difficult making a decision at her stand but I finally settled on several bouquets of bright green Swiss Chard freshly cut by KK herself. I chose this flavorful leafy green for a Portuguese-inspired soup with white beans and smoked Paprika.
If you are a vegetarian, Smoked Paprika is a great substitute for the flavor of spicy sausage that a soup like this might normally have. This soup makes for a rustic presentation with the white beans and vibrant Swiss Chard suspended in the Paprika and tomato-laced broth. Served with crusty country bread and your favorite salad.
Equipment
Medium size stock pot and Ladle
Ingredients
1 lb of Swiss Chard
2 large tomatoes of any type chopped for sauteeing.
1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced
One eighth teaspoon of Smoked Spanish Paprika or “Pimenton” or
1 lb. of linguica or chorizo sausage, fresh or smoked.
1 large white onion
1 cup of cooked white beans or can of organic Cannelini Beans
2 tablespoons of EVOO.
Add one cup of vegetable stock (see my recipe for Greenporter Garden Stock) Organic boxed is ok.
Instructions
1. Rinsed and dry Swiss Chard, spinach or Kale. Remove veins from larger leaves and rough chop. Chop onion, tomatoes and mince garlic.
2. In large stock pot add EVOO and saute the chopped onion, tomatoes until lightly browned, then and garlic and swiss chard.
3. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat.
4. (if using sausage) In a separate pan, sauté your chopped sausage and to it add your stock and beans. Otherwise proceed to next line
4-a. Add 1 can of white beans and 1 cup of vegetable stock.
5. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Then add Paprika and salt (always at the end to prevent over-salting and over-seasoning) to taste.
*If you are not a vegetarian*
You may add Chorizo (Pork-based Portuguese sausage) or Merguez (lamb sausage-kosher sausage) in the first step of sauteeing so as to extract the flavor of the sausage. If dairy is part of your diet, finish with a touch of high quality Parmesan cheese.
Wine
Pick up a bottle of Old World Vines Merlot from Mattebella Vineyards. It is a full-bodied red that will stand up to this soup.
