Stuffed Swiss Chard Leaves Food

STUFFED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Choose 12 large chard leaves (each should be about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide) or 24 smaller leaves; set aside. Coarsely chop enough of the remaining leaves to make 4 1/2 cups; reserve remaining leaves for another use. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a pinch of salt. Blanch whole leaves, 1 at a time, until tender and bright green, about 5 seconds. Lay flat on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.
• Melt butter with oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, scallions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add chopped chard, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add pine nuts; let stand until cool. Stir in rice, cheeses, and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a blanched leaf facedown on a work surface. Cut out thickest part of stalk, about one-third of the way up leaf; slightly overlap the cut ends. If using smaller leaves, overlap 2 leaves so they are about 10 by 5 inches. Spoon 1/3 cup filling about one-third of the way up leaf. Fold bottom of leaf over mixture. Fold in sides. Roll to enclose filling completely, creating a 3-by-2-inch bundle. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Tent with foil. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Spoon warm sauce onto plates; serve 2 or 3 bundles per plate.

CHARD LEAVES STUFFED WITH RICE AND HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the chard leaves and stems for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and cut away the stems at the base. Next cut out the wide part of the stem remaining inside the leaf, cutting a V at the base where it connects with the leaf. Set aside the leaves and cut the stems into small dice (about 1/4 inch). Set aside 1/2 cup of the blanching water for the baking dish.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the diced chard stems and a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish that can accommodate all of the chard rolls. In a large bowl mix together the rice, onion mixture, herbs, Aleppo pepper and currants if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on each chard leaf. Tuck the sides over the filling and roll up the leaves. Place in the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and place 1/2 cup water in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, until the chard rolls are hot and the leaves tender. They should retain their bright green color.

SWISS CHARD PURSES WITH SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Soak bread cubes in milk in a large bowl until softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out milk, discarding it, then crumble bread into bowl.
• Wash chopped leeks well in a bowl of cold water, agitating them to loosen any grit, then lift out and transfer to a sieve to drain.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Crumble sausage into skillet and brown, breaking up lumps with a fork, about 3 minutes. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to bowl with bread. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet, then sauté chopped leek, chard stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir vegetables into bread mixture, then cool until warm, about 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper into eggs, then stir eggs into bread mixture.
• Wash leek strips, then blanch in a large pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, 2 minutes and transfer with tongs to a bowl of ice and cold water (reserve water in pot). Transfer to a colander and drain well, then transfer to paper towels and pat dry. Blanch chard leaves in water just until wilted, about 30 seconds, and transfer with a slotted spoon to ice water to cool. Drain chard leaves in colander.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spread 1 chard leaf on a work surface, using smaller leaves to patch any holes if necessary. Chard-leaf wrapper should be about 8 by 5 inches (if it's smaller, overlap several small leaves to form a larger wrapper; don't worry if wrapper is larger than 8 by 5). Mound 1/4 cup stuffing in center, then gather chard up over filling to form a purse and tie closed with a leek strip. (You have extra strips in case some break.) Make 19 more purses in same manner.
• Oil a 3-quart gratin or other shallow baking dish. Stand purses upright in dish and drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add broth to dish and cover purses with a sheet of wax paper or parchment, then loosely cover with foil. Bake purses until stuffing is warmed through and egg is set (cut one open on bottom to check), 35 to 40 minutes.

STUFFED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Using fresh Swiss Chard, place leaves in hot water for 10 minutes to soften for rolling (if the leaves are too large cut in half).
• Remove the ribs from the leaf.
• Set leaves aside.
• Drain chick peas.
• Combine the skinned chick peas, half of the lemon juice, and all other ingredients except Swiss Chard and water.
• Mix well.
• Place a tablespoon of the filling lengthwise on a leaf bringing the edges about 1/2 inch toward the centre and rolling as fingers.
• Arrange in saucepan, alternating the direction of each layer.
• Add the other 1/2 cup lemon juice and enought water to reach just below the level of the last row.
• Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes .
• All water should have evaporated.
• If not, remove lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
• Place a plate over top of the pan and holding plate and pot securly together, turn upsidedown so all the rolls remain in the same mold on the plate as the pan.
• Serve with yogurt.

STUFFED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Set the currants in a little warm water for 10 minutes, then drain. Parboil the rice in salted water for 12 minutes, then drain it in a strainer and cool under cold running water.
• Peel the onion and chop it fine; saute it for a minute in a skillet in one tablespoon of the olive oil.
• Wash and dry the chard, making sure not to damage the green leaves. Run a knife along the stalks, separating the green from the white. Cut the stalks into two-inch lengths.
• Put the flour and the tablespoon of coarse salt in three quarts of water. Bring to a boil and add the chard stalks. Cook them 10 to 15 minutes or until just tender, then drain well and chop coarsely with a knife.
• Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the boiled chard stalks and saute them, stirring often, for five minute. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
• Put the sauteed stalks into a bowl and add the currants, pine nuts, parboiled rice, chopped onion and salt and pepper to taste. Form the stuffing into little balls, about a tablespoon of stuffing each, and rap each ball neatly in a Swiss chard leaf.
• Arrange the balls tightly in a baking dish, smooth side up. Sprinkle with the remaining three tablespoons of oil, add about one-fourth-inch water and bake about 35 minutes. Serve hot in the baking dish.