Recipe: lemon-chard soup.

By request, here’s a reconstruction of the recipe for the lemon-chard soup we made with the rainbow chard from the garden:

Big bunch of chard (1.5-2 lbs.)
Medium onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro (or more, or less, or none, to taste)
1/2 cup lemon juice
Rinse the lentils well and make sure there aren’t any rocks in them. Combine the lentils and the stock in a large pot, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. At this point, the red lentils will have lost all sense of their individuality. (If you prefer lentils with less communitarian inclinations, use brown ones and simmer until they are soft but not mushy.)
Meanwhile, finely dice the onion. Separate the chard stems from the chard leaves and chop the stems into dice about the same size as the onion dice. Coarsely chop the leaves.
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and the chard stems and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and lightly browned and the stems are soft (about 8 minutes). Add the chard leaves and cook, stirring, until wilted (another 3 minutes).
Add the onion and chard to the lentils and stock. Stir in the cilantro (if you’re using it) and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Leftovers reheat pretty well.