Creamy Swiss Chard With Coconut Food

CREAMED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil over medium-high. Gradually add chard and cook until it is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible.
• In pot, melt butter. Whisking constantly, add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Cook, whisking along bottom of pot, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard and stir until coated. Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

EASY CREAMED SWISS CHARD WITH GARLIC BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• First, prepare the garlic breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the bread crumbs and season with the garlic seasoning and kosher salt. Stir often to be sure the panko toasts to a golden brown but doesn't burn. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in the parsley and Parmesan cheese.
• To Prepare the Swiss Chard
• Trim the tough inner ribs from the stalks of the swiss chard leaves and discard. Roughly chop the swiss chard and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions soften, stirring often. Add the cream cheese and the chicken stock and whisk together until the cream cheese melts into the broth and the mixture is smooth. Season with the nutmeg and the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring continuously until thickened. Add half of the swiss chard and gently fold into the sauce until it wilts and softens, then add the remaining chard and fold into the mix until it softens and reduces as well. Sprinkle the creamed chard with the bread crumbs and transfer to a serving dish.

COCONUT CREAMED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add garlic, ginger, shallot, curry powder and smoked paprika and sauté until fragrant. Add swiss chard and cook until wilted. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add butter to the pan and then flour. Stir until the flour mixture (also known as a roux) is a light golden brown colour. Add the coconut milk and stir for 1-2 minutes until thicken.
• Add the swiss chard back to the pan and sauté for another 2 minutes. Serve warm.

COCONUT CREAMED GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread out coconut flakes on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and toast, undisturbed, until some are golden brown (some will remain white), 5-7 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, remove ribs and stems from greens and discard. Cut leaves into 1"-thick strips; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add onion, chile, and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add mustard seeds, coriander, and turmeric and cook, stirring to evenly distribute, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add coconut milk to skillet and bring to a simmer. Add reserved greens a handful at a time, letting each batch wilt slightly before adding more. Cook, tossing occasionally, until greens are tender and mixture looks creamy, 15-18 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
• Transfer greens to a platter or large shallow bowl and top with coconut flakes and cilantro.

CREAMY SWISS CHARD WITH COCONUT

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chile and cook until tender and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Add chard leaves, coconut milk, and water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.

CREAMY PARMESAN SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400ºF. Butter a shallow 5- or 6-cup ceramic gratin dish. Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs; set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and garlic to a boil (watch that it doesn't boil over), immediately lower the heat, and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes; the cream should be reduced to about 3/4 cup. Take the pan off the heat and remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon. Let the cream cool slightly, stirring occasionally to loosen. Season it with a few grinds of fresh pepper and 1/4 tsp. of the salt.
• Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and browned. With tongs, transfer it to paper towels; crumble when cool. Leave the bacon fat in pan (if there's more than 2 Tbs., drain a little off). Add the remaining 1 Tbs. butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the chard stems and sauté them over medium to medium-high heat until they're somewhat softened and browned on the edges, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chard leaves and toss them with the contents of the skillet. Season them with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. (You can add the leaves in two batches for easier handling.) Sauté until all the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the contents of the pan to the gratin dish (leave behind any excess liquid in the sauté pan), spreading them evenly. Sauté sliced chard stems first until tender; then add the leaves and wilt them.
• Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and then the cheese over the chard. Pour the seasoned cream over all and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 minutes; the gratin will be brown and bubbly. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

SAUTEED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Wash and dry the chard leaves. Remove the stems and roughly chop the chard (follow the instructions in How to Cut Kale). If you'd like, thinly slice the tender part of the stems and add that to the mix (discard the large tough parts of the stems; or you can discard the stems entirely).
• Smash and peel the garlic cloves.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the smashed garlic and chard and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently until wilted and bright green.
• Remove from the heat and add the kosher salt, red pepper flakes. and several grinds of fresh ground pepper.
• Discard the garlic cloves and serve immediately. If desired, serve with shredded Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

CREAMY GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
• When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half's seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
• In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
• To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.