Garlicky Chard with Eggs and Bacon

I had this giant batch of rainbow chard in my fridge than had been sitting there for multiple weeks begging to be used. This was delicious. You can use the stems or not, your choice. Feel free to swap in cooked sausage for the bacon (chorizo would be especially excellent). Do top with hot sauce if you can stand a bit of heat - it really makes the dish.

Canola oil, butter, or bacon fat for the pan
1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped scapes (or several garlic cloves)
1 large bunch chard (1 - 1 1/2 lbs) leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
1 Tbsp cider vinegar, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped cooked bacon
8 eggs
Hot sauce for topping

If you cook the bacon specifically for this dish, save a bit of the fat in the pan to saute with. Otherwise use a bit of oil or butter.

Saute the scapes in a large skillet or braising pan over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chard and saute until wilted. Add the vinegar and continue to saute the chard until tender. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, then add the bacon.

Make wells in the chard for the eggs. Add a bit more oil, butter or fat to each well to help keep the egg from sticking. Crack an egg into each well. With the heat on medium, cover the pan and cook until the egg white are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve hot, scooping out an egg or two with plenty of chard for each diner. Add hot sauce at the table if you like heat.

Serves about 4.

Garlicky Coconut Soy Chard

I don't normally get excited about sauteed greens, but these were amazing! My husband and I polished them off and wished for more. You can use the chard stems or not, depending on your preference and their condition. As written, this recipe only serves two, so double or triple it if you are serving a larger group. Substitute kale if you like.

1 Tbsp coconut oil
6-8 cloves garlic
1 medium bunch Swiss chard (about 12 ounces), sliced into ribbons
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Melt the coconut oil in a medium skillet. Add the garlic and saute over medium high heat for a minute or two. Add the chard and saute until tender. Drizzle the soy sauce over it and saute another 30 seconds to a minute. Serve hot.

Serves 2.

Garlic and Chard Frittata

This is simple and satisfying. Don't be surprised by the large amount of chard that goes into it - it really cooks down. Feel free to substitute spinach. You could also substitute a bunch of green garlic for the mature garlic at this time of year.

Olive oil
1 head garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb bunch of chard, chopped (stems finely chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
10 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the chard (you may need to do this in batches). Saute until the chard is tender, another few minutes. Drain off excess liquid, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Use a 10-inch ovenproof skillet to cook the frittata. Either clean out the one you used to cook the vegetables and then oil it, or use a fresh one, coated with olive oil.

Place the chard mixture in the oiled pan, then pour in the egg. Cook over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, shaking periodically, until the frittata is mostly set. Turn on the broiler. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top of the frittata, then place it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the top of the egg is set and the cheese is browned.

Serves about 4.

Greek Pasta with Chard, Tomatoes, and Dill

Dill and feta give this pasta dish a Greek flair.  It's loaded with greens, which are coming in fast and furious at this point in the season.

1 lb cut pasta (e.g. shells, rotini, etc)
Olive oil
1/2 cup chopped scapes
1 lb chard, well chopped
3 cups cooked chickpeas
3 cups chopped tomatoes (canned, or use fresh peeled paste tomatoes)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled feta for topping

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, then drain and toss with a little olive oil.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Heat a little olive oil in a braising pan or Dutch oven.  Add the scapes and saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the chard (in batches if needed) and saute until wilted. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and oregano and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in the dill and add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the pasta and sauce together and serve. Top generously with crumbled feta at the table.

Serves about 6.

Cheater's Chard and Chickpea Curry

The big cheat here is jarred curry sauce, turning this into a quick and easy meal that still uses a big load of fresh local veggies.  If you want to make it from scratch, minced a bunch of garlic and fresh ginger and add it after sauteing the onions, then add some garam masala and a bit of turmeric, and round it out with a little tomato paste.  Serve this over rice.

Canola oil
1 medium onion or a couple spring onions, diced
1 lb Swiss chard, chopped (1 large bunch)
3-4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 1/2-2 cups jarred Indian curry sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup chopped cashews, lightly toasted
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat some canola oil in a large skillet or other wide bottomed pan.  Add the onions and saute over medium heat until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the chard (you may need to do this in batches), stirring until nicely wilted.  Add the chickpeas and the sauce and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so.  Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Serve over rice, topped with cashews and cilantro at the table.

Serves 4-6.

Chipotle Chard Polenta

I bought a big batch of Swiss chard at the farmers market last weekend, can you tell?

3 cups water
1 cup polenta cornmeal
1 tsp salt
Olive oil
1/2 cup garlic scapes
1/2 - 1 cups chopped spring onions
4 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 large chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, seeds removed (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 3/4 cup tomato sauce
3-4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, and whisk in the polenta meal. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir with a spoon. Be careful, as the cooking polenta is viscous and can bubble up and burn you. Cooking time will vary with the type of polenta you are using. The kind I get at Green Fields Market, in the bulk section, thickens up very quickly. You want it to be pretty stiff for this application. When the polenta is cooked, remove from heat, cover, and set aside for now.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Ad the scapes and onions and saute until tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the chard and chipotle and saute until the chard is nicely wilted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Oil a 10-inch oven-proof skillet or a 7x11-inch baking dish. Spread the cooked polenta in the bottom. Spread the tomato sauce over the polenta, then add the chard mixture.  Top with cheddar.

Bake the polenta for about 15 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown. Serve hot.

Serves about 4.

White Bean Stew with Sausage and Chard

It may be June, but on a chilly wet day like today, stew seemed to be in order.  I used my last package of frozen roasted tomatoes here.  With luck, we'll have fresh ones in the garden by late next month.

Olive oil
3/4 cup finely diced garlic scapes (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
1 lb Italian sausage (casings removed)
3 cups cooked white beans
1-2 cups diced tomatoes (frozen and thawed or canned, optional)
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups well chopped Swiss chard

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the scapes and saute for 2 minutes or so.  Add the sausage and cook until nicely browned.  Add the beans, tomatoes (if using), stock, basil, and salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes or so, then add the chard.  Cook until well wilted, then serve.

Serves 4-5.

Gingery Late Spring Stir-Fry with Scapes, Scallions, and Greens

If this recipe sounds a bit like one I posted a month ago, you're right. It's a good example of how I take a basic recipe concept and adjust it through the year depending on what's in season at any given moment. In early May we had storage onions and garlic to mix with fresh greens; now that it's June we have scapes (or use green garlic) and scallions. I made this with Swiss chard, but spinach, arugula, kale, mustard greens, etc. would all work fine. If you use chard, put the diced stems in at the same time as the scapes and scallions.

Feel free to substitute chicken, tofu, tempeh, or whatever other protein you like for the steak.

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 lb not-too-fancy steak (like London broil or top round)
1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste
6-8 scapes, in 1/8-1/4-inch rounds
1 bunch scallions or spring onions, sliced in rounds (white and green parts)
1 Tbsp minced ginger
3/4 lb greens, washed and stemmed if needed (chop or not, as desired)
1 Tbsp corn starch
Salt to taste
Hot sauce (optional)

Slice the steak against the grain, about 1/4-inch thick, with slices about 2 inches long. Place it in a bowl, add 1/4 cup soy sauce, and toss to coat. Let stand for 5-10 minutes (more if you have time).

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a wok or very large skillet. Scoop the steak out of its bowl, leaving excess liquid behind, and cook over high heat until it reaches your desired level of doneness. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil to the wok or skillet, then add the scapes, scallions, and ginger. Stir fry over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, then add the greens (you may have to do this in batches). Cook the greens until wilted, then add the steak back in and remove the pan from the heat.

Mix the corn starch into the soy sauce remaining from marinating the beef, then pour it into the pan. Return the pan to the heat, briefly, until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve hot, over rice. If desired, add hot sauce at the table.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Chorizo and Chard

Along with spinach and arugula, I spotted bunches of Swiss chard at the market this weekend and scooped one up for variety. Feel free to substitute other greens here. Chorizo is a spicy Spanish sausage, available from several of our local pork farmers.

1 14-inch pizza crust
Olive oil
1/2 lb chorizo
1/2 lb Swiss chard, coarsely chopped (stems optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3-4 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Cook the chorizo in a skillet over high heat: either remove casings first and crumble as you brown it, or cook whole links and slice afterwards. When the chorizo is done, remove it from the pan and pour off most of the fat. Add the chard to the pan and saute until wilted, adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Spread the tomato sauce over the crust, then top with the chard and chorizo. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Pizza with Chard, Onions, and Feta

First CSA greens recipe... The chard was really good here, but other greens would work, too.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/2 lb Swiss chard, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded mozzarella
3-4 oz. crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Heat some more olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute for about a minute. Add the chard in batches, stirring until it wilts and stopping before it completely loses its body. Stir in the oregano and some salt and pepper.

Spread the mozzarella over the pizza crust. Top with the chard and onion mixture. It will make a generous topping, but don't be afraid - the result is just right. Sprinkle feta over the vegetables.

Bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the feta begins to brown around the edges.

Serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Requested: Greens

Thanks, requesters - keep 'em coming! This is fun.

I actually don't tend to cook a lot of greens during the height of summer because there are so many other tasty summer crops available right now that have a much shorter season. Local greens are available nearly year round at this point, so I tend to cook them more often in the spring and fall, and winter when I can get them. What that means if you're looking for recipes is that you should try the search box at the top left corner of the page, or cruise through the archive listings. You can also try clicking on the tags (Blogger calls them labels) below each post: clicking a tag will bring up all posts that have that tag attached to it. For this one, I've tagged greens, chard, kale, spinach, arugula, bok choy, and sorrel.

Polenta with Chard and Feta

Those big bunches of rainbow chard are just too pretty not to buy now and then! And the garlic that is getting pulled now is just about mature, but it is fresh when you get it at the market, rather than dried and cured for storage, as it will be later in the season. The stalk is no longer edible, and the cloves will have to be peeled (the outsides are too tough) even though the skin is not papery yet. Chase Hill Farm is a good source of local feta.

3 cups water
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 cup polenta cornmeal
Olive oil
1 small head fresh garlic (or 4-5 cloves), minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch chard, coarsely chopped
2-3 oz. crumbled feta
Black pepper to taste
3/4 cup tomato sauce
3 oz. shredded mozzarella

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, and whisk in the polenta meal. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir with a spoon. Be careful, as the cooking polenta is viscous and can bubble up and burn you. Cooking time will vary with the type of polenta you are using. The kind I get at Green Fields Market, in the bulk section, thickens up very quickly. You want it to be pretty stiff for this application. When the polenta is cooked, remove from heat, cover, and set aside for now.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chard, in batches if necessary, and cook until wilted. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Drain off all the excess liquid.

Preheat the broiler while you assemble the dish.

If you were using a cast iron skillet to cook the vegetables, clean it out and dry it. Otherwise, use a comparably sized pan (7x11-inch is good, 8x8 is a little small). Lightly oil your pan, then press the polenta into the bottom of it and smooth it into a relatively uniform layer. Top with the tomato sauce.

Spread the chard mixture over the tomato sauce, sprinkle with feta, then top with mozzarella.

Put the whole thing under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese begins to brown. Serve hot.

Serves about 4.

Pizza with Spinach, Pecorino, and Sage

I expect that spinach is going to be winding down in the markets pretty soon. What we had in the garden is long gone, having bolted weeks ago. But if you like this recipe, you can also make it with Swiss chard, which goes right through the summer and into fall. Pecorino is a salty, flavorful sheep's milk cheese from Italy. It's a treat in our house because it's a little expensive, but worth it now and then. I'd love a local substitute, but I'm not aware of anyone making sheep cheese in this area--if anyone knows of any, please let me know!

Olive oil
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 lb spinach, stemmed
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 oz pecorino, grated or finely diced
2 oz shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil.

Heat a little more olive oil in a skillet and saute the spinach just long enough to wilt it.

Spread the tomato sauce on the pizza crust. Top with the spinach. Sprinkle with sage and pecorino, then top lightly with mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Quiche with Greens and Feta

This made for a nice, easy Sunday night dinner. Local eggs, milk, and cheese are easy to come by, and greens are in season now--I used chard from the garden. Spinach would be good too, or even kale or collards.

1 9-inch pastry shell
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups coarsely chopped chard
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Pre-bake the pie crust for about 15 minutes (weight it down with pie weights if using homemade).

While the crust pre-bakes, saute the garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add chard and saute until wilted. Spread chard in bottom of pie crust. Sprinkle feta over it.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour over the chard and feta. Bake quiche for about 35 minutes, until cooked through.

Serves 3-4.

Garlicky Greens

This an easy and delicious way to serve greens as a side dish--which, incidentally, allows you to use up a lot of them at once if you are blessed with an overabundance.

6-8 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 cups coarsely chopped greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the greens, in batches if necessary, and saute until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Serves about 4.

Middle Eastern Style Lentil Soup with Greens

This is what I did yesterday with part of the cilantro bunch I saved out to use fresh, along with chard from the garden, which has survived the last new nights' frost just fine. This is a quick and easy recipe.

1 cup dried brown lentils
½ cup dried quinoa
7-8 cups water
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 veggie bouillon cubes
4-5 cups coarsely chopped chard (leaves only)
1 – 1 ½ cups chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
¼ cup lemon juice
1-2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the lentils and quinoa in a soup pot with about 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Add the garlic and onions to the pot. Add the cumin and bouillon cubes. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the onions and garlic are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the chard, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. If needed, add more water to reach the desired consistency. Simmer until the greens are tender, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Serves about 4.

Pasta with Chicken, Chard, and Gorgonzola

Swiss chard is one of the worker bees of the garden. With little maintenance, it just keeps producing from spring all through the summer and well into fall. In the greenhouses of local farmers, it will probably keep going into winter. Here's a recipe that uses a nice big bunch of it. We use Murray's chicken, but I would love to find a source that is more local. If anyone knows of a good one, let me know.

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chopped Swiss chard (leaves and stems)
¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb cut pasta

Heat water for the pasta, and make the rest of the dish while it cooks.

Sauté the chicken until cooked through. Set aside.

Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, then add the chard (in batches if necessary) and cook until just wilted.

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the chicken and chard. Add the Gorgonzola and toss until it melts and coats everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.