Swiss Chard Miso Soup

I opened up my fridge the other night to find a salad spinner full of swiss chard that was a day or so away from turning soft and rubbery. I’ll fry this up, I thought, as a supplement to the steak and cheese pie from DUB Pies that I already ate. Well I did that—in a little bit of olive oil, shallots, and garlic—and dumped it into a bowl. The swiss chard looked lonely. I went back to the fridge. I found there a pint of vegetable stock that I had made at around the same time that I bought the greens. I tasted, happy to find that it, too, had not yet soured. Anticipating soup, I popped the stock into the microwave and was going to reflect on my resourcefulness when I remembered the tub of soybean paste, which is what is used to make miso soup, tucked back into the corner of said fridge. I retrieved it, scooped up a dab, and stirred it into the hot vegetable stock. Then, as the waiters do at the restaurants that none of us can afford to go to, except that here I used a Pyrex measuring cup where they might have used a sleek silver teapot or something, I poured the hot stock over the sautéed greens. I tasted for salt and pepper. And then, with a cold glass of cheap white wine, I devoured.

Here’s to a wholly vegan, PoopGroup worthy, refrigerator exploiting, easy and delicious dinner that I will definitely try to replicate. I can’t recommend enough that you make your own stock. I’ve written about it before; it’s a deeply satisfying chore, one that not only produces a nutritious, delicious base to your culinary experiments but also extracts the remaining goodness from your vegetable scraps.

Swiss Chard Miso Soup

For one lonely, temporarily stimulated person

1 T olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, slivered
1/2 bunch swiss chard, cut into 2-inch strips
2 cups vegetable stock, hot
1 T red soybean paste
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add shallots and stir for a minute. Then add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Add the swiss chard and a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable stock. Cook, turning the leaves frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Move greens to serving bowl.

Stir the soybean paste into the hot vegetable stock. Pour over greens. Season with salt and pepper and serve.