Recipe: Turkish-Style Swiss Chard Soup with Chickpeas and Barley

TURKISH-STYLE SWISS CHARD SOUP WITH CHICKPEAS AND BARLEY

"This soup was inspired by a dish we ate at the Muzedechanga restaurant at Istanbul's Sabanci Museum. We'd just visited a fascinating exhibit about Ghengis Khan and ate lunch in the sunshine looking out over the beautiful museum gardens, with The Bosphorus in the distance.

The soup was full of Swiss chard and chickpeas - just the sort of earthy flavors I love - and the pearl barley gave it a lovely chewiness. Even though it's not really Turkish, I can't resist serving this soup with a dollop of yogurt."

6 ounces dried chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
3 sticks celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 pound Swiss chard, stems removed, shredded
4 ounces pearl barley, uncooked
1 1/2 quarts stock
2 bay leaves
1 long red chile pepper, seeded and shredded
1/2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice (for serving)
Greek-style yogurt (for serving)

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Saute the onion, celery, and garlic over a low heat for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables soften.

Add the spices, thyme, and Swiss chard, then toss everything around in the pan for a few moments.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pan with the pearl barley, stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for around an hour or until the chickpeas and barley are tender.

Add the chile and tomato and season generously with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and the thyme stalks. Ladle the hot soup into warmed bowls, then add a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous spoonful of yogurt to each.

Makes 6-8 servings
Source: Turquoise: A Chef's Travels in Turkey by Greg and Lucy Malouf