Notice something new? Thought you had clicked into the wrong blog? Don’t worry, it’s me. I just redecorated. I’ve been meaning to switch out of Blogger and join the happy WordPress crowd for a long time, but was a bit scared of change. I’ve always heard of people losing half their blog (or all of it!) or other horrible stories and so I’ve been avoiding the big changeover until things settled down a bit. With my book just handed in, and the next big project still on the horizon, now seemed as good a time as any to jump off the cliff.
As you can see, I survived. And so did my blog. Thanks to my friend Nicolee for pretty much giving up sleep the last week to bring me into the WordPress fold, I’ve arrived with almost no hiccups. There’s lots of new bells and whistles that I haven’t quite figured out yet (recipe and restaurant sections, specially formatted recipes, etc) so please have patience while I get used to this brave new world. Most of the links are working, but you may still get the odd ‘error’ message. I think I’ve got the comment section working now, so please do let me know what you think, and if any particularly big bugs stand out make sure you tell me.
Rather than stay tied to my computer this past weekend, tweaking and anxiously checking on the transfer, I headed out to Todi with a houseful of friends. While Domenico played with his friends pruning all of our fruit trees, I took walks in the woods looking for wild asparagus, listened to Gillian’s son play the guitar and – of course – cooked up a storm. All of which managed to take my mind off things digital (I left that to Nicolee).
Whenever we have a full house, soup usually makes an appearance, and this weekend it was bean soup. I brought up a gorgeous bag of beans that I’d bought at DOL Bottega del Gusto. Mustard yellow in color, I grabbed them off the shelf because they were so pretty. And sorry, but I have to admit I have no idea what they are called. I put them to soak on Friday evening, after having enjoyed too many glasses of wine, and threw away the label. They are definitely from Lazio, that much I can tell you. Like all beans, they turned a pinky beige color when cooked, so I am giving you free range in the bean-choosing department for this recipe. But please. Use dried beans, not canned. Especially for this soup, which is minimal, it makes all the difference.
The rest of the soup was made up of what I could scavenge from the vegetable garden. It’s a sad sight these days, twixt winter and spring. Not much left to pick, but I did manage to find enough Swiss chard to turn the bag of beans into a huge pot of soup, big enough to feed everyone.
Seasonings were harvested too. A few sprigs of rosemary and a couple of bay leaves.
Since the chard had wintered over, and survived many frosts, it was incredibly flavorful. So flavor-packed that there was no need for stock or bouillon. The chard, along with the cooking liquid from the beans, made their own rich, green broth.
After a calming bowl of this soup (with some amazing cheeses and cured meats, also from DOL) more wine, a nap and another long walk I finally checked back in with my blog.
Which had miraculously survived the jump off the cliff.
swiss chard + bean {soup}
Yield 8
Ingredients
- 500 grams/ 1 pound dried beans (cannelini or borlotti)
- 1kilo/ 2 pounds Swiss Chard (use the stems too)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped very finely
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Put the beans in a bowl of water and soak for at least 6 hours or over night. Drain and put in a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that appears, add a teaspoon of salt, and simmer until tender. This will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes depending on your beans. For this soup it doesn’t matter if they get over done. Turn off heat, but don’t drain.
- In the meantime prepare the Swiss chard. Wash and trim away any very tough stems. But if the stems are looking good, and not too stringy, you can use them too. Chop everything up and put in a bowl.
- Pour the olive oil into a big soup pot. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary and bay. Let cook until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard, and a tsp of salt. Stir, and let the greens wilt. After about 8 minutes, when the greens have reduced in volume, add the beans and their cooking water. You may have to add a cup or two more of water if it looks like there isn’t enough. The liquid should come up a inch or so over the top of the beans and greens.
- Stir well, and let simmer, with the lid on, for about a half hour or so.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning. I like to use an immersible blender to mush up about a third of the soup, to thicken it.
- Serve as is, or with toasted croutons.
Courses soup
Gillian
The new site is beautiful. Brava to both you and Nicloee! The delicious beans (I think maybe Fagiolo della Stoppia ?) were from a small producer near Viterbo called Cerqueto. http://www.cerquetosrl.it I always buy a few bags of beans and their spice mix, Grigliata alle Rose, whenever I see them.
Elizabeth
Yes, those are the beans!
Heather
Congratulations Elizabeth- The new website is so lovely!
jodi
The website looks great!
Barbara
Website looks great and so does the soup. Made your polenta last night and had it with our kale that Roger harvested from our garden. Was deeeelish.
Elizabeth
I wish we still had some kale to harvest. Ours is long gone.
Ann
I love the new look — such pretty colors! And a delicious recipe for my Sunday repertoire — thanks!
Elizabeth
Yes, it’s the perfect Sunday recipe. Make enough and it can last you through an entire week of lunches.
janie
Love your new look and now I know what I’ll be doing with the chard I need to go and pick this morning. Thanks Elizabeth!
Elizabeth
Good luck with your harvest.
Susan
Love the website and the recipe print option is the best! Congratulations.
Elizabeth
Thank you!
Arlene Gibbs Décor
Brava! I love the new look and congrats on turning in your book.
The print option is boss. Really.
Elizabeth
Thank you! I love the new recipe print thingy too. Looks so professional! 🙂
Frank @Memorie di Angelina
Welcome to the world of WordPress! Really love the new look. Very clean, very elegant!
Elizabeth
Grazie!
Laney (Ortensia Blu)
Beautiful new site – congratulations!
SALLY CARROCINO
LOVELY
WOULD SHE COME TO CALIFORNIA AND HELP ME CHANGE OVER?
Elizabeth
Even though Nicolee lives in Rome, and is a friend, during the entire process we never saw each other. We talked on skype constantly, but these days you don’t have to be in the same city.
Cynthia Gillis
Welcome to WordPress – I also have a blog on it. http://www.timshalagardens.com.
When I kept getting notes that your website was down I admit I panicked…so welcome back.
Adri
The site looks great, and so does the soup!
Elizabeth
Grazie!
Paulette McPherson
I have been following the blog for probably 3 years now, love it, and the new look is great. I have to say though I don’t know what I anticipate more, a new blog posting OR a new Instagram pic – those pics immediately take me back to Italy, every time I see them
Elizabeth
I’m glad you like the instagram photos! I really do love posting on instagram, and it certainly is a lot easier than blogging. 🙂
CD
Congratulations Elizabeth!
I love this new website! It sort of evokes the graphic design of a timeless menu, yet the avocado elements retain a touch of the former website. Nice transition.
All the best from New York,
CD
Elizabeth
You noticed that I kept the green! I wanted to keep something of the old site.
Liz Boylan
What a pleasant surprise to see your crisp new site! I can’t wait to share it with my friends. Congratulations!
Elizabeth
Thank you! I hope your friends like the new site too!
Heather in Arles
Oh my goodness! Elizabeth, the new site is absolutely gorgeous!! Wow. I have been pondering making the same move but have been such a scaredy cat. Yours is one of several others that have recently made the move and they all leave the blogger blogs in the dust. Hmmm…
And yes please for the soup too. I loved seeing yours and Gillian’s IG photos of what looked like a perfect weekend…
Elizabeth
Thanks! Yes, the move from Blogger to WP was scary, and I definitely couldn’t have done it on my own. But very happy now that I’ve done it. Everything is so much easier, and Blogger was starting to give me a real headache.
Victoria
The new look is lovely and the soup looks yummy. Swiss chard makes such a flavorful soup. I look forward to trying yours.