Doesn’t that sound divine?  So much more exotic than “Vegetable Minestrone with Pesto” but that is the rough translation.

I love soups.  I make them about once a week in the winter months, so I had to try this recipe from Cooking with Italian Grandmothers.  This is from Daria who brought us the first dish I tried- the Pesto Lasagna.  So I knew I was in good hands.

Just sauté a few cloves of garlic and half a red onion in some olive oil.

When it starts to caramelize, add half a diced fennel bulb, a stalk of celery diced, little more than a quarter pound potato and a cup of cooked chickpeas.

As a side note- this is the first time I have ever cooked chickpeas.  Not shockingly- much better than canned.

Also add a quarter of a lemon, four cups chicken stock and a touch of stock.  She also says that if you have a parmesan rind, throw that in.  Thankfully I’ve been binge cheese eating, so I had a rind at the ready.

Cook this for about thirty minutes until potatoes are cooked.  Or keep in the fridge until the next day.

When ready to eat, bring to a simmer and add half cup chard leaves and half cup chard stems, both chopped.  Incidentally, have you seen a better looking leaf?

This only needs to cook for about a minute- until the stems are cooked, but the leaves haven’t lost their color.

Done!!

Throw in a bowl with a dollop of pesto.

Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese to make sure you have a rind for later…

Delicious!  Really good.