Swiss chard soup with red Kampot pepper

Ingredients

about 1 kg Swiss chard
3 cups vegetable/chicken broth
juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 heaping tablespoon chopped wild garlic (or 1 pressed garlic clove)
1 heaping tablespoon ghee
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
2 pinches of salt
red Kampot pepper
hard-boiled eggs
red beet sprouts
green pea sprouts
olive or avocado oil
Kampot fleur de sel

Instructions

1. Swiss chard needs to be soaked first to remove impurities. Fill a sink with cold water and let the leaves float in it for a few minutes. Then gently dry them.

2. Prepare a large pot where you will steam the Swiss chard stems and leaves. Since the stems need longer cooking time, you should now cut them off. Simply cut along both sides of the stem. You will have the leafy part separate from the stem.

3. First, put the stems to steam, after about 5 minutes add the leaves and steam for about 3 minutes until softened.

4. Now pour the Swiss chard into a colander and immediately rinse with cold water so that the green color stays nice and vibrant.

5. Transfer the Swiss chard to a blender, add the starch, chopped wild garlic, broth, and lemon juice and blend until completely smooth. This takes about 2–3 minutes. Alternatively, put everything into a pot and blend with an immersion blender.

6. Pour the smooth mixture into a pot and start warming it over low heat; the soup will thicken slightly thanks to the starch.

7. Add ghee or butter and nutmeg to the soup. Stir and season with salt and pepper to your taste.

8. Serve with hard-boiled eggs, sprouts, and sautéed asparagus. Drizzle lightly with oil and add a final touch of pepper.