Cut the leeks lengthwise and thinly slice. Rinse well in a bowl of cold water and transfer to a colander to drain. Roughly chop the chard leaves and thinly slice the stalks. Roughly chop the parsley including the stalks and transfer them to the bowl with the chard stalks.

Heat up a good lug of olive oil in a heavy soup pot and saute the leeks until they have wilted. Stir in the chile pepper, bay leaf, chard stalks, parsley root and parsley stalks. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and continue cooking until the vegetables have softened; about 10 minutes.

Add the chard and parsley leaves to the pot and stir to combine. Cook until the chard has wilted then add the water. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow everything to cook together for a few minutes. Discard bay leaf and adjust seasonings to your taste.

At this point you can serve this soup as is with pieces of torn bread and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Or using a hand-held blender purée until smooth and serve with pieces of toast, herbs, toasted pepitas or creme fresh and black rice.