Swiss chard is at its best in early fall when the weather turns cool. For this soup, chard is cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and onion. A poached egg and a slice of toasted bread top each serving, making it a complete meal. My favorite bread for topping soup is ciabatta because it is crisp outside and moist within, has a light, airy texture, and toasts nicely. If you can’t find ciabatta, substitute another light, crispy bread.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 1 whole clove
- 1 large fresh tomato, chopped, or 1 cup chopped canned Italian tomatoes with their juice
- 1½ pounds Swiss chard, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices ciabatta, toasted
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large pot, cook the onion in the olive oil over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until tender and golden.
- Stir in the chopped garlic and tomato and cook for 5 minutes, until the tomato juices have thickened.
- Add the Swiss chard to the pot, along with the water and salt and pepper to taste, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chard is tender.
- Meanwhile, rub each slice of toast with the whole garlic clove. Place a slice in each of four serving bowls.
- About 5 minutes before the soup is ready, bring a wide saucepan of water to a simmer and add salt to taste.
- Break 1 of the eggs into a small cup, carefully slip it into the water, and stir gently so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
- Cover and cook until the eggs are done to taste, about 3 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water one at a time, drain well, and place 1 egg on each slice of toast.
- Ladle the soup around the toast.
- Sprinkle with the cheese, drizzle with a little olive oil, and serve.
