Featured Recipe
Swiss Chard & Orzo Soup
By Kate
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A hearty soup combining diced guanciale and shiitake mushrooms with orzo and Swiss chard. The broth simmers into a rich base while toasted baguette slices with melted Gruyère add crunch. Red chard stalks create texture, leaves soften for color. A quick broil crisps cheese topping until bubbling and golden. Garnished with fresh parsley, this version swaps pancetta and button mushrooms for deep umami notes. Balanced salt from homemade chicken broth. Straightforward layering of flavors, uses common kitchen staples and highlights timing via sights and aromas.
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Prep:
20 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
50 min
Serves:
4 servings
soup
quick meals
hearty
Italian cuisine
veggie soup
Introduction
Jump straight into rendering pork with dry heat until fat crisps and hisses, no need to mask smells. Mushroom sizzle gives off earth notes, brown but not wet — indication to toss leek in next. Keep vegetables moving in pan to coax out sweetness and prevent burning. Stock heats fast, bubbles should be lively then moderate, not flat. Orzo tells you when cooked by texture and when it starts soaking broth, usually 7 minutes. Finally add chard leaves last—they wilt instantly, preserve color, avoid floppy mess. Transform simple soup with rustic crisps covered in melted Gruyère browned under broiler, bubbling and caramelizing. Ends sharp with parsley freshness, easy swap if necessary to chives or tarragon. No fuss, no fussiness. Just technique and timing honed through repetition, trusting senses above timers. Fish backyard favorites or market finds for mushrooms, porks to vary. Keep salt delicate, layering flavor, not drowning it.
Ingredients
About the ingredients
Swapping pancetta for guanciale heightens pork flavor profile, less smoky more porky and richer fat. Shiitake mushrooms add meaty texture and deeper umami, perfect to cut through richness—not the typical button, but easily sourced. Olive oil split use: half for rendering, half to crisp bread and bring out the cheese flavor. Choosing Gruyère over cheddar for toast ups complexity with nuttier tones and better melting. Leek fibers release sweetness that plays well with chard’s mild bitterness; separate stems and leaves for staggered cooking to get varying textures instead of one-note mush. Orzo—small shape like large grains, absorbs broth well, but timing is delicate; too long and it becomes a starchy mush. Homemade chicken stock recommended to control salt and build pure base flavor; if store-bought, go low sodium and adjust accordingly when seasoning. Parsley brightens finished dish, but chives or tarragon can swap for different notes. Crusty baguette preferred for crispness under cheese—avoid soft sandwich bread or stale slices that soak oil and get limp.
Method
Technique Tips
Rendering pork properly first brings fundamental depth—the fat is the flavor carrier here, crisp edges provide texture contrast. Mushrooms must brown, not steam—turn down heat if they start releasing too much moisture. Adding leeks and chard stalks next provides a base sweetness and crunch. Salt at this stage helps extract moisture and flavors but don’t overdo—too salty early makes corrections difficult. Bring stock to a bubble before adding orzo; the simmer lets orzo absorb broth gradually. Watch for swelling and loss of raw bite—testing texture every few minutes avoids mush. Stir to prevent sticking. Add chard leaves right at the end, cooking briefly to retain color and nutrients but avoid limpness. Toast bread with cheese under broiler for a minute or two only—cheese browns fast, watch closely or it burns. Sprinkle fresh herbs off heat to keep vibrant. If broth appears greasy, skim off between steps. Can strain or use fine sieve for silkier texture. Quick mise-en-place keeps efficient flow. Visual and tactile indicators trump time stamps; smell renders doneness, cooking sounds offer real-time monitoring. Essential to finishing soup and gratin simultaneously for a controlled dinner service.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 For guanciale, use bacon if out; pork flavor shines. Shiitake swap via cremini. Cook until crispy; moisture means they're steaming.
- 💡 Watch for orzo; time it right not to overcook. Texture tells you when. Test—al dente is key. Softer means starchy.
- 💡 Chicken stock matters; homemade preferred. Store-bought can be high in salt. Taste before seasoning. Adjust carefully; prevent over-salting.
- 💡 Chard stalks add crunch; toss them in before leaves. Keep an eye on color, freshness. Cooking should preserve nutrients.
- 💡 Broil cheese crisp — watch closely. It'll burn fast. Under broiler — just until bubbly and brown. Remove quickly and let sit.
