Lentil Soup with Chard and Lemon

Found in James Beard's American Cookery, according to this blog where I found it.

We ate it warm, because we were hungry by the time I got to the last step where it says "serve chilled", and because it sounded better anyway. We tried it chilled for lunch the next day, and it was OK. I can't say it was a favorite for either of us, but it managed to use up two weeks worth of chard. Not as good as the chard tart we got as a recipe with last years vegetables (I'll post the recipe here eventually).

Lentil Soup with Chard and Lemon

1½ cups lentils
2½ lbs fresh Swiss Chard
½ cup olive oil
¾ cup chopped onion
3 to 4 garlic cloves
Salt
1 Stalk celery, chopped
¾ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon flour
Chopped chives for garnish

Wash and pick over the lentils. Cover them with fresh cold water, and cook, covered, until tender. Wash the Swiss Chard leaves and chop them. Add these and a cup of water to the lentils. Continue cooking until the Swiss chard is done, adding more water if necessary. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the chopped onion. Crush the garlic cloves with salt, and add these and the chopped celery to the onion. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender and blended. Add to the lentil mixture. Mix the lemon juice with the flour and stir it into the soup. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup is rather thick. Taste for seasoning. Serve chilled with chopped chives in soup bowls, and pass crusty French or Italian bread to sop up the juices.