Our New Favorite Green–Chard
Posted on | October 30, 2008 |
I’d always been a little wary of chard–never quite sure what to make of it’s brightly colored stalks and dark green leaves. But when I started hearing about it’s health benefits (chock full of antioxidants, calcium, potassium, vitamin C and all sorts of other good stuff), I decided to give it a try…and it was good! Even more surprising, my husband loved it, and now requests new chard dishes all the time!
This recipe for Chard and Red Pepper Gratin is adapted from the one at the New York Times and it makes for a tasty, albeit a bit fiddly, dinner side. I totally cheated and served it with a roasted chicken from Henry’s, but that made it a do-able weeknight dinner.
Chard and Red Pepper Gratin
1 generous bunch Swiss chard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat milk
3 ounces Swiss cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup Arborio rice, cooked*
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs**
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Strip the leaves from the stalks and rough chop, but hold onto the stalks. When the water comes to a boil add the chard leaves and blanch for about 1 minute, just until tender. Transfer immediately to a colander and run under cold water. Let sit for a couple minutes to cool, then squeeze out excess water and chop fine.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ยบ F. Brush a 2-quart baking or gratin dish with olive oil.
3. Trim both ends off the chard stalks, then dice. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chard stalks, diced red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the garlic, stir together for a minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant, and stir in the chard. Stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, just to blend the mixture and coat the chard with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
4. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Stir in the chard mixture, the cheese, rice and thyme. Stir together, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle on the remaining oil.
5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until firm and browned on the top. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
Yield: Serves 6
*I took the lazy way out and cooked the Arborio rice in the rice maker–1 cup rice to 3 cups water. It bubbled up and made a mess, but the rice was good, it was easy, and mixed into the gratin no one could tell the difference.
**I used italian seasoned Progresso bread crumbs, as that is what was in my pantry. Tasted great!
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