Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

Confession: After I took the final picture, I polished off both of these bowls in a single sitting (on the floor). The soup was cold at that point but so dang delicious. I heard about this soup a year or so ago from my favorite NPR program, the Splendid Table. The story of this soup was so colorful and inviting – I had to make it. Ugh. I don’t know why I waited a year – now I feel like I have to make up for lost time. My version varies mostly in preparation because: Confession No. 2: I’m lazy in the kitchen.  This soup is fresh, flavorful and filling. It has a mellow roasted garlic flavor with garlicky pine nut cream. A crust of this bread would be nice on the side. Don’t wait a year to make it.

Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream
  • Step 1

    Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

    Caramelize onions until light brown and translucent. Add the chard stalks and sauté some more.

  • Step 2

    Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

    Toast the garlic on low heat with a bit of olive oil until light brown and fragrant.

  • Step 3

    Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

    Next add the vegetable stock and roasted garlic. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until chard stalks are tender.

  • Step 4

    Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

    Lastly add the greens and cooked rice to the pot. Simmer on medium for just a few minutes before blending with your immersion blender.

  • Step 5

    Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

    Mix the pine nuts, garlic flavored oil and pinch of salt together in your food processor until creamy.

Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream Green Soup with Pine Nut Cream

Recipe Inspired by The Splendid Table  

 

Ingredients for the Soup

1 large bunch of swiss chard

1 large onion

2 bunches or 2 bags fresh spinach

1/4 cup brown rice

4 cups vegetable stock (homemade tastes best)

4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper and pepper flakes

olive oil and/or butter for sautéing onions

a generous squeeze of lemon for serving

 

Ingredients for the Pine Nut Cream 

3 tablespoons pine nuts

6 tablespoons garlicky olive oil

 

Directions 

Caramelize onions until light brown and translucent. Add the chard stalks and sauté some more. In a separate pan, toast the garlic on low heat with about 6 tablespoons of olive oil until light brown and fragrant. Cook the rice in a separate small pot. Add the vegetable stock to the onions and chard stalks with salt, pepper and pepper flakes, bring to a boil, then simmer until chard stalks are tender. When the garlic is light brown and fragrant add it to the pot as well, reserve the oil for the pine nut cream. Add the cooked rice and the greens to the soup, simmer for a minute or so then blend it all up with your immersion blender or high speed blender. In your food processor combine garlic oil and pine nuts. Blend until smooth. Garnish soup with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon, pine nut cream and maybe some fresh parsley if you have it on hand.

 

  • Judith Q Stewart

    Hi Grace, thank your husband for the ‘pin it’ tag.
    Love the photos…
    And love the addition of spinach ( my fav )

    Keep up the wonderful spirit.

    • http://earthyfeast.com/ Grace @ Earthy Feast

      Thanks so much for your comment Judith!

  • Shelly West

    Oh my goodness – greens on greens on greens. So beautiful! I feel like I’m the same way where I always put off the really delicious recipes forever and then wonder why I did that. Ah well.

    • http://earthyfeast.com/ Grace @ Earthy Feast

      Thank you Shelley! Sometimes I get sad thinking about how many delicious recipes exist in this world and how I don’t have time to make them all – too bad we can’t cook and eat 24/7 ;)