Okra Swiss Chard Soup Recipes

GRANNY'S OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, lima beans, okra, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, and tomato paste in a large soup pot. Pour chicken stock over mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes.
• Season ground beef with garlic powder, celery salt, and onion powder. Set aside.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic when butter stops bubbling; cook and stir for 1 minute. Spread ground beef evenly in the pan. Cook until it has a nice brown sear, stirring minimally to end up with mostly medium-sized chunks, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain skillet and add beef, onions, and garlic to the soup pot.
• Bring soup mixture to a boil; reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables and beef have cooked down, 1 to 2 hours.

SWISS CHARD AND RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Trim the bottoms of the chard stems. If the stems are thin and fibrous, separate the leaves and discard the stems. If they are wide, separate the leaves and cut the stems into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside with the celery and onion. Wash the leaves in 2 changes of water and chop medium-fine.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, celery and chard stalks. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock or water, bouquet garni and rice. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• Stir the chard into the soup, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust the salt. Serve with fresh lemon wedges for people to squeeze into their servings if desired and Parmesan for sprinkling.

LOWCOUNTRY OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Set an 8-quart Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add oil. When oil shimmers, lay in turkey necks and sear until evenly golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
• Add 4 quarts water, smoked turkey, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a heavy simmer, with the lid ajar to ensure the pot doesn't boil over. Check pot every 30 minutes to remove any scum that forms, and add water as needed to ensure that the meat is always submerged. Cook for about 3 hours or until all the meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
• While it's traditional to leave onion and bones in the soup (and suck meat off turkey neck as you eat), you can strain broth, remove onion and pick meat off bones at this point if desired, returning meat to broth. Either way, reduce broth to about 3 quarts, then stir in onion powder, paprika, cayenne and pepper, and season to taste with salt.
• Stir in tomatoes, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning for salt, then add okra, reduce heat to low and cook until okra is just tender, not mushy, and still has bite to it, no more than 10 minutes. The okra will naturally thicken the broth as it cooks.
• Stir in corn and beans, cook for another minute or 2, then serve immediately with rice, cornbread and hot sauce. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Return to a boil for 3 minutes before serving.

LENTIL AND SWISS CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan with a lid, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, oregano, and thyme; stir to combine.
• Add lentils, 5 cups water, and tomatoes with their juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes. Add chard stalks and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chard leaves; season with salt and pepper, and cook until lentils and chard are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice; ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve with bread, if desired.

OKRA SOUP WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Make the shrimp broth: Peel and devein the shrimp; refrigerate the shrimp for the soup. Clean the shrimp shells under cold water, then transfer to a large pot. Add the carrots, celery, onions, butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the bay leaf and 10 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, making sure to skim off and discard any impurities that rise to the top. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. You will need 3 cups of the broth for the soup; reserve the rest for another use.
• Make the okra soup: Heat a large gumbo pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, bell pepper and 1 tablespoon butter and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Next, add the corn, lima beans and plum tomatoes and mix. Add the canned tomatoes and reserved 3 cups shrimp broth; stir, cover, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
• While the soup is simmering, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes per side. Add the okra, ground ginger and lemon juice and stir to mix; cook until the okra and shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
• Once the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add the shrimp and okra mixture. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir the soup, then ladle into bowls or serve over rice.

BUTTER BEAN RISOTTO WITH CHARD AND FRIED OKRA

Steps:

• For fried okra:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place okra in small bowl; pour buttermilk over. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain off buttermilk.
• Place cornmeal in medium bowl. Mix in salt and pepper. Add okra; toss to coat.
• Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add okra; sauté until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 375°F oven 5 minutes before using.
• For risotto:
• Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add chard and toss until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to very low and keep broth warm.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add rice; stir to coat well, about 3 minutes. Add wine; simmer until wine evaporates, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth. Simmer until absorbed, stirring almost constantly, about 2 minutes. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, simmering until broth is absorbed each time and rice is creamy and just tender, stirring almost constantly, about 18 minutes longer. Mix in chard, then beans, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon butter. Season risotto with salt and pepper.
• Divide risotto among bowls; sprinkle with okra. Pass more Parmesan alongside.

OKRA-SWISS CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Pour the oil into a large pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onions, carrots, beans, and okra. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chard, cumin, and cayenne. Sauté another 2-3 minutes. Now add half of the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer gently for about 25 minutes.
• Put the soup in a blender and blend in as many batches as is necessary. Return the soup to the large pan. Add the remaining stock to thin the soup out, as well as the coconut milk. Stir to mix and taste for salt, adding as much as you need. Heat before serving.