The sweet and savoy flavors of this soup is appealing to young children – you may want to cut crostini into fun shapes for little ones to enjoy. This also makes an elegant first course for a formal dinner.
Adapted from a recipe in The Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

Serves 4

Inredients – The Soup

- 1 bunch Chard from the garden
- Sea Salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 cups Meat or vegetable broth
- 2 cups milk
- Nutmeg freshly ground from the mill
- 5 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Crostini, made according to directions below

Preparation

- Wash chard leaves in several changes of cold water.
-Put the chard in a pan with no additional water, just the water that is clinging to it is enough.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt, cover the pan, turn the heat on to medium, and cook until tender about 5 minutes or less.
- Drain the chard and as soon as it is cool enout to handle squeeze gently to force it to shed most of the moisture and chop it rather course.
- Put the butter and onion in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Saute the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold.
- Add the cooked chard and sauté in the uncovered pot for 2 to 3 minutes stirring it to coat it well.
- Add the broth, milk and a tiny grating – no more than 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg and bring to a simmer, stirring from time to time.
- Add the grated parmesan stirring it thoroughly nto the soup, taste and correct for salt, and turn off the heat.
Ladle into individual bowls and serve the crostini on the side.

Ingredients – Crostini

- 4 slices peasant bread cut in half to make 2 trangles each
- 2 tablespoons or more Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Sea Salt

Preparation

- Trim the crust from the bread.
- Dip the bread in the olive oil quickly on each side or if you prefer brush each slice with a pastry brush dipped in olive oil.
- Toast in oven or in toaster oven until golden, turn and toast the other side.
- Remove and sprinkle with sea salt.

Serve immediately.

Posted in Healthy Eating, KTC-recipes