Stuffed Swiss Chard 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.

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.

STUFFED SWISS CHARD LEAVES

Steps:

• Put a large pot of water on to boil.
• While it comes to a boil, trim the Swiss chard : cut out the stem, but also cut out any of the larger white "ribs" so the leaf will be very flexible and easy to work with.
• Finely chop the stems and set them aside.
• Blanch the chard leaves , dipping them into the boiling water until they wilt, about 30 seconds, drain and rinse with cold water to plunge into a bowl of ice water to cool and set the green color.
• Chop 1 of the onions, mince the garlic, and peel and finely chop carrots and/or parsnip. In a large saute pan, braising pan, or wide pot, heat the oil.
• Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and saute, cooking and stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the carrot(s) and/or parsnip and the chard stems to the onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender about 10 minutes total.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
• Add the rice and combine, then add the lamb and black pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
• Wipe out the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Peel and halve the other onion and add it to the tomatoes.
• Add the chile flakes, if using. Simmer the tomatoes over medium-low heat, reducing the heat if needed to keep the tomatoes simmering very gently until the butter separates out from the tomatoes and the onion is very soft, about 30 minutes.
• Taste and add more salt to taste, if you like.
• While the sauce simmers, prepare the stuffed chard leaves. Working with 1 leaf at a time, squeeze any excess water from the leaf and lay it on a clean, flat work surface. Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of the stuffing at one end of the leaf. Bring the shorter end of the leaf over the stuffing, fold in the sides to encase the stuffing, and then roll up with the remaining leaf. If you know how to fold a burrito or spring roll, it's the same principle; if you don't, don't worry about it-any way you get the stuffing encased and folded into the leaf will be fine. Wrap it like a package, just roll it up and tuck in the sides. The leaves are flexible and the final product can have your unique stamp.
• Remove the onion halves from the tomato sauce and discard them.
• Add about 1/2 cup water to the tomato sauce and bring back to a simmer.
• Set the stuffed chard leaves in the tomato sauce, cover, and cook until the meat and rice are cooked through and tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Check on the pot occasionally - if the tomato sauce seems too thick or is starting to stick to the pan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and sort of stir it in between the chard bundles and adjust the heat to maintain a steady but gentle simmer. Serve the Swiss chard bundles hot, with the sauce on top or on the side, as people like.

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.

SWISS CHARD AND RICOTTA STUFFED ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut out the stems from peppers and discard. Remove the seeds and clean out the white ribs. Season them inside with salt and pepper. Rub the outsides of the peppers with vegetable oil and place them, stem side down, onto a baking sheet. Bake them for 30 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled and slightly charred. Remove the peppers from the oven and put them into a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let them steam until they are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Peel the skin from the peppers, making sure to keep them whole, and set aside.
• While the peppers are baking and steaming, make the pesto: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. When the water is boiling, add the basil leaves. After 5 seconds (yes, 5 seconds) remove the basil and immediately put it into the ice water. (This will keep the pesto green.) When it is cold, drain the basil and squeeze out any excess water. Put the basil into a food processor or blender and add the pine nuts, cheese, and garlic. Turn on the processor and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• In a large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cook the eggplant until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes more. Transfer them to a cutting board, let them cool a bit, and chop them finely with a knife. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan over medium-high heat. When it is melted, add the Swiss chard, cover the pan, and let the chard wilt for about 1 minute. Transfer the chard to a bowl. Add the vegetables, ricotta, 1 tablespoon of the pesto, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Stuff this mixture into the peppers, being careful to keep them whole. Place them on their sides into a lightly buttered baking dish. Sprinkle each pepper evenly with bread crumbs and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with extra pesto.