Oyster Swiss Chard Gratin With Country Bacon Food

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter and toss with bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, herbs, half of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
• Boil broth in a small saucepan until reduced by half. Add cream and keep warm.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 1 minute, then whisk in broth mixture and boil, whisking, 1 minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cook onion in remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add chard stems, remaining nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Increase heat to moderately high and add chard leaves and spinach by large handfuls, stirring, until all greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer vegetables to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon. Toss vegetables with cream sauce and transfer to a buttered 12-inch oval gratin or 2-quart shallow baking dish, spreading evenly.
• Top vegetables with bread crumbs and bake in middle of oven until bubbling and topping is golden, about 20 minutes.

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• To pickle the chard, put 400ml water in a large saucepan or sauté pan with the star anise, sugar and vinegar. Put the remaining spices in a cloth bag tied with string, add to the pan, bring to the boil, then drop in the chard, stalk first. Press the chard down in the pan and simmer for 3-4 mins - don't worry if you can't cover the leaves completely in the liquid, as they will wilt and become submerged while cooking. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Once cooled, remove the chard from the pickle mix and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Lay the chard in an A4-sized baking dish. In a bowl, whisk the cream and garlic together with some seasoning, then pour over the chard. Sprinkle over the cheese and cayenne pepper, and bake for 30 mins.

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°.
• Coat the interior of a 1 1/2-quart gratin or baking dish with the softened butter and spoon in the 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs; tilt the dish around until they cover the buttered surface.
• Slice the chard stems and leaves into 1 1/2-inch pieces; wash in cold water; drain but don't dry them.
• Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat; add the shallot and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute; add the chard, sprinkle with salt; cover tightly and steam until the chard has wilted to half its original volume, about 2-3 minutes; uncover and cook the chard, turning occasionally with tongs, until all the water in the pan evaporates, about 5 more minutes; season with pepper and set aside.
• Sauce - melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; whisk in the flour; cook, whisking, until mixture bubbles up and turns lighter in color, about 1 minute; pour in the cold milk all at once; whisk vigorously; add salt and bay leaf; heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes; reduce the heat to low, simmer 2 minutes; stir in the nutmeg, oregano, thyme and 1/2 cup of the cheese; remove from heat and discard bay leaf.
• Mix the cooked chard and the sauce; spoon into prepared pan; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup cheese; bake until golden and bubbly, 35 minutes.