Chicken Barley Soup with Walnut Pesto

Habanero peppers are fiery hot, so handle them carefully. In this dish, you simply pierce the chile with a fork and float it in the broth as the soup cooks. Remove it with a slotted spoon before serving. If you prefer milder heat, use the same technique with a jalapeño.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups soup and 2 tablespoons pesto)

Ingredients

• Soup:
• 5  bacon slices, chopped
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh garlic
• 2  (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps, chopped
• 1  (3-pound) whole chicken, skinned
• 1  thyme sprig
• 4 1/2  quarts cold water
• 8  ounces  Swiss chard
• 1  cup  uncooked pearl barley, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped celery
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped Granny Smith apple
• 1  habanero pepper
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 
  Pesto:
• 1/4  cup  walnuts, toasted
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  minced fresh garlic
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.

2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Place chicken and thyme in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover with 4 1/2 quarts cold water; bring to a simmer. Skim fat from surface; discard. Remove stems and center ribs from Swiss chard. Coarsely chop stems and ribs; reserve leaves. Add stems, ribs, and next 5 ingredients (through apple) to pan; bring to a simmer. Pierce habanero with a fork; add to pan. Cook 35 minutes or until chicken is done.

3. Remove chicken from pan; cool slightly. Remove chicken from bones; chop meat. Discard bones, thyme sprig, and habanero. Strain barley mixture through a sieve over a bowl. Reserve 4 cups of broth for another use. Return remaining 6 cups broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes. Return chicken and barley mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Add mushroom mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

4. To prepare pesto, cook Swiss chard leaves in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. Place leaves, walnuts, and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Serve with soup.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

416 (30% from fat)

Fat:

13.7g (sat 3.1g,mono 5.6g,poly 3.7g)

Protein:

41.8g

Carbohydrate:

31.7g

Fiber:

6.6g

Cholesterol:

117mg

Iron:

3.5mg

Sodium:

641mg

Calcium:

78mg