Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
5 garlic cloves (4 sliced and 1 whole)
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
5 cups chopped collard greens (about 1 bunch) or 5 cups kale leaves, tough stems removed (about 1 bunch)
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed
6 1/2 inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
6 tablespoons shredded gruyere or 6 tablespoons swiss cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped

Preparation

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sliced garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Stir in collard greens (or kale), reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, 5-10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig. Stir in black-eyed peas; remove from the heat and cover.
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil until lightly toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. Rub each bread slice with the remaining garlic clove. (Discard garlic). Turn the slices over and top with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with the cheese toasts and bacon.