Chard and what to do with it

I had, until recently, never cooked with chard. But then again this entire blog should be called "My first ... (insert the name of the dish here)" and it's the case this time, too. Chard soup in its many varieties is a dish that will always remind me of Polish summers in the countryside. There are recipes for chard soup served hot for rainy days
and cold - as a refreshment on lazy, sunny day - a bit like Spanish gazpacho. Either way - don't be put off by chard - it may look and taste a bit like lettuce before you cook it, but it does make a great soup, especially when cooked with beetroot. Just the colour itself is fantastic.

Polish Chard and Beetroot Soup

1/2 L stock
medium sized bunch of chard, rinsed well
2 carrots, chopped into small cubes
2 small beetroots, chopped into small cubes.
1/2 glass of water
1 Tbs plain flour
4 Tbs single cream
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper

hard boiled egg/some potatoes/cottage cheese/chives (optional)

Soak the chard in hot stock for a few minutes and then take it out to cool it down. Keep the stock. Chop the beetroot and the carrot and add them to the stock. Cook until both become soft. In the meantime when the chard is not too hot to touch chop it roughly into thin and long pieces.
Add 1 tablespoon of flour to half a glass of water and add the cream to it. Mix well, so that there are no lumps in the flour. Add the cream mix to the stock and let it boil for a few minutes. Add the chard and squeeze into the lemon juice into the soup. Season to taste.

You can serve the soup with some hard boled egg, potatoes or a lump of cottage cheese in the middle. It also looks very nice served with some chives.

Enjoy!