Red Bean, Turnip, Rocoto and Swiss chard soup

The cold weather persists in Northern California and one look outside my window at the bursts of green Swiss Chard and rocoto chili plants provided the inspiration for this soup.  Lots of ways to substitute ingredients that I will flag below.  Enjoy.

For veggie broth:
1 onion
6 celery stalks
10-12 pepper corns
2-3 bay leaves
cumin seeds
If not a vegetarian, then throw in any chicken bone scraps or ham hock
4 Roma tomatoes

Put all the above in a large soup pot with plenty of water to cover. Simmer for 1+ hours over medium heat. Take off flame and plop the Roma tomotoes for 5-10 minutes until their skins split. Remove the tomotoes and when cool enough to handle, slide skins off, which should be very easy. Leave aside. Strain the rest of the stock and reserve.

Rest of soup
2 cups red beans (or kidney, pinto or black eyed etc. Anything but chickpea or lentil) Soak the beans in well-salted water until they swell (3-4 hours or overnight)
1 onion chopped (red or yellow)
4-6 garlic cloves
1  turnip cut into 1/4" pieces (or large potato, or 2 carrots)
1 finely chopped rocoto pepper (2-3 red serrano will do, remove the seds carefully and wash hand well after seeding them.)
10-12 Swish Chard leaves chopped into large strips

In new pot, coat bottom with olive oil and heat over medium flame.  Add chopped onions and sweat them.  If not a vegetarian, here is a good time to add some chopped bacon or ham hock pieces to cook through.  Add garlic and Roma tomatoes, gently mashing the tomatoes to 'disolve'.  Add the turnip. Drain beans that were soaking and add in with a stir.  Add the chard and cover for a few minutes to wilt the chard. Add the stock. Stir and cook until beans are cooked through.  Sometimes I add in a small 1/2 tsp of Vegemite if handy or a shake of Worcestershire sauce for added flavor, but not necessary. Because the red beans were soaked in salted water, no need to to add salt until the end and do so to taste.

My usual thing is to make the soup and let it cool to room temperature before heating again to serve, or better still make a day ahead, to let the flavors settle and meld.

Enjoy!