Chard With Olive Oil And Lemon Food

LEMON-GARLIC RAINBOW CHARD

Steps:

• Separate the stems of the chard from the leaves. Cut the leaves into thin strips and set aside. Thinly slice the stems.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Stir in the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and chard stems, and cook for 3 minutes until the flavor of the garlic mellows and the stems begin to soften. Stir in the shredded chard leaves, cover, and cook 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir, recover, and continue cooking until the chard is tender. Toss with lemon juice to serve.

CHARD-WRAPPED FISH WITH LEMON AND OLIVE

Steps:

• Finely zest and juice both lemons. Reserve the juice and half the zest. In a small bowl, combine the remaining zest with the olives, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon garlic, and the red pepper flakes until incorporated.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Use a knife to separate the leaves from the chard stems so you have 2 leaves from each stem. Thinly slice the stems crosswise. Dip the chard leaves in the boiling water for 10 seconds to soften; drain, cool slightly, and pat dry. Cut the fish into 8 equal-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and spread 2 teaspoons of the olive mixture on each piece of fish.
• Place 1 piece of fish on a piece of chard and roll it up; use the extra 2 leaves to patch any parts that need extra wrapping. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender and lightly golden, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the chard stems with the remaining 3 teaspoons garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until absorbed, 1 minute. Add the reserved lemon zest and juice with the stock, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the liquid thickens and bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in most of the remaining cilantro.
• Nestle the fish in the skillet, scatter the tomatoes and whole olives over the fish, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the fish is opaque and the chard can be cut easily, 10 minutes. Serve over the grain of your choice with sauce spooned over the top; garnish with cilantro.

CHARD WITH OLIVE OIL AND LEMON

Steps:

• Cut the white stalks from the leaves and keep both separate. Wash them thoroughly in cold water, rubbing any soil off the stalks with your thumb. Rinse both leaves and stems thoroughly.
• Bring a large pan of water to a boil, salt it, and add the chard stalks. They will take three or four minutes to cook and should still retain some bite, rather than be softly tender (you could steam them if you prefer). Scoop out the stalks and drain them. Return the same water back to a boil and add the leaves. They will need barely two minutes. Take them out when they are tender but still bright green. Pour off the water, wipe the pan, and return it to the heat.
• Peel the garlic and slice it finely, or chop it if you prefer. Pour the olive oil into the pan and let it warm over low heat. Toss in the garlic and stir it so that it softens without color. Add the drained chard leaves and stalks and gently fold them over in the warm oil and garlic. Grind over a little black pepper and sea salt, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze half over the greens.
• Serve immediately, with the rest of the lemon on the side.

CHARD, LEMON & CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Drain the ricotta in a sieve for a few mins to remove the whey. Thoroughly wash the chard, and in a clean tea towel, dry the chard, then finely slice.
• Heat the olive oil in a wok over a medium heat, add the leek, onion, garlic, chilli, preserved lemon, cumin and fennel seeds with a big pinch of salt and cook until the leek and onion are softened and fragrant - about 10 mins. Add the chard, herbs and a good squeeze of lemon juice and season, cook for a few mins until the leaves are wilted but not mushy. Allow to cool, and then squeeze the chard in a sieve to remove any excess moisture.
• Whisk the eggs in a bowl until a little frothy and mix in the ricotta and feta. Stir in the greens mixture until well combined and grate over some nutmeg.
• Remove the filo from the pack. Brush the inside of a 20 x 9cm deep cake tin with a little rapeseed oil, and lay a sheet of filo in it, smoothing over the base and up the sides with your fingers - it should cover the bottom and reach up the sides, overhanging the edge. Brush with more oil to cover the pastry and repeat, laying another sheet to make sure the base is completely covered. Gradually build up the layers, brushing with plenty of oil between sheets, adjusting the positioning of the sheets to get even coverage until the tin is fully lined.
• Fill the tin with the cheese and greens mixture and cover with the filo, brushing with oil between layers and on the top. Add herbs between the layers for a pretty touch. Crumple the filo in the middle of the pie for an extra crispy ruffled texture and scatter with a few more fennel seeds. Bake for 50 mins until golden and the filling is set. Allow to settle for at least 20 mins before removing from the tin. Cool completely and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

SWISS CHARD WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Remove Swiss chard stems and cut into small pieces. Slice leaves into strips. Set both aside.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute chard stems for 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in chard leaves, cover, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook for 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and squeeze lemon juice on top.

OLIVE OIL LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place the lemon juice, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, lemon zest and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the motor still running, slowly pour in the oil until just combined.
• Fill a medium saucepan with about an inch of water and bring water to boil over high heat. Transfer lemon mixture to a metal mixing bowl that can nestle into top of the saucepan without touching the water. Reduce heat to medium-low and, using a potholder or towel to protect your hands, whisk constantly until the curd thickens and looks like mayonnaise, 6 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. (If you have a double boiler, you can use that here instead of the pot and the bowl.)
• Remove bowl from the heat and inspect the curd. If you see hard bits of coagulated egg, strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve, pressing with a rubber spatula. (If it looks smooth, you can skip this step.) Transfer curd to a container and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal. Let the curd cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.