Soup of the evening: combine greens and beans for a quick, warming dinner - Weeknight

Sunset, Oct, 2003 by Kate Washington

Since I work around food all day, the last thing I want to do when I go home at night is whip up a cassoulet or lasagna from scratch. That's why this simple, Italian-style soup of greens and beans has become a weeknight staple at my house. I keep a bunch of greens, a few cans of beans, a wedge of parmesan, and some chicken broth on hand for it.

(If I'm out of homemade broth, I buy the kind that comes in a carton, which doesn't have the finny taste of canned.) It's easy to vary the soup with different kinds of beans or greens (though some, such as kale, require longer cooking). It's a minimalist autumn dinner that leaves me free to spend the rest of the evening out of the kitchen.

Chard and
White Bean Soup

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 40 minutes

NOTES: If you're using imported parmesan,
such as Parmigiano-Reggiano,
add a piece of the rind to the soup in
step 2 for extra flavor. While the soup
simmers, brush some slices of country
bread or levain with olive oil and toast
them, to serve with the hot soup.

MAKES: 2 1/2 quarts; 4 to 6 servings

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 lb.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 quart fat-skimmed chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini beans,
  drained and rinsed
  About 1/2 cup fresh-grated parmesan
  cheese (see notes)
  Salt and fresh-ground pepper

1. Rinse chard well and trim off and discard
discolored stem ends; tear leaves
from stems. Thinly slice steins crosswise;
cut leaves into 1-inch pieces.

2. Pour oil into a 4- to 5-quart pan over
medium heat. Add chard stems and garlic;
stir often until stems are limp, about
10 minutes. Add chard leaves, broth,
and 3 cups water (see notes). Bring to a
simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until
chard is tender to bite, 10 minutes longer.

3. Add beans and stir occasionally until
hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan
cheese and add salt and pepper to
taste. Ladle into bowls; offer more
parmesan to add at the table.

Per serving: 196 cal., 26% (50 cal.) from fat; 17 g
protein; 5,6 g fat (1.9 g sat.); 19 g carbo (6.8 g fiber);
526 mg sodium; 6.4 mg chol.