Swiss Chard And Leek Gratin Food

SPRING GREENS AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in an ovenproof 10" skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ramp bulbs and cook, stirring often, until leeks are softened, about 10 minutes. (Try to keep the leeks from browning.)
• Add ramp greens, arugula, and spinach in big handfuls, cooking and wilting one batch before adding the next. (At first it will look like all those greens will never fit in the skillet, but keep at it-you'll see!) When all greens are wilted (this may take 15-20 minutes), add coriander, salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until spices are incorporated, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest, cream, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Continue to cook, stirring, until cream has slightly reduced, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
• Toss bread with oil in a large bowl to coat. Arrange bread on top of vegetables, taking care not to cover the greens completely (you want them to peek through here and there). Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan over.
• Transfer to oven and bake gratin until bread is golden brown and crisp, cheese is melted, and cream is bubbling, 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

CREAMY SWISS CHARD PASTA WITH LEEKS, TARRAGON AND LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the chard: Tear the leaves off the stems, separating the leaves and stems. Thinly slice the stems, then coarsely tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Set both aside in separate bowls.
• Prepare the leeks: Trim off the bottom and the dark green portion at the top, halve the remaining white and pale green portion lengthwise, then thinly slice them crosswise. Wash and drain the sliced leeks. Set aside.
• Prepare the bread crumbs: In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium. Add the panko, season lightly with salt and generously with pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-high. Add the leeks, chard stems, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks start to wilt and soften, about 5 minutes. Add the torn chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 2 minutes.
• Add the stock and heavy cream, and boil over high until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Once the mixture is simmering, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain pasta.
• Transfer chard mixture to the empty pasta pot. Stir in the cooked pasta, then sprinkle with the Parmesan, stirring vigorously to melt it into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide among shallow bowls or plates. Sprinkle generously with the prepared bread crumbs, top with tarragon and grate fresh lemon zest on top. Serve immediately.

LEEK AND SWISS CHARD TART

Steps:

• Roll out pastry on floured work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saut until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.
• Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.

SWISS CHARD AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the chard until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain the chard, squeeze it dry, and chop. Be sure to remove any excess moisture.
• Heat the oil in the pot. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over medium to medium low heat, stirring, until tender, 7 minutes. You know your stove -- if it cooks hot make it medium low, if it cooks low, make it medium. Uncover, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant. (about 2 minutes). Add the chard, season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter or grease a 2 qt casserole dish.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour over moderate heat to form a paste. Gradually whisk 1/3 of the milk and cook, whisking, until the mixture starts to thicken. Repeat two more times with the remaining milk.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until thickened and no floury taste remains, about 10-15 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses and the nutmeg. season with salt and pepper.
• Combine the sauce and leeks/chard mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving to prevent burning your mouth.

GRATIN OF ARTICHOKE AND SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of salt.
• Snap off the stems of the artichokes and reserve. Trim the artichokes for all but their innermost leaves. Cut about 2 inches off the top of each artichoke and discard. Add the artichokes to the boiling water. Peel the tough outer skin off the stems and add the stems to the water. Place a small bread plate or other weight on top of the artichokes to keep them submerged. Lower the heat to a slow boil and cook until the artichokes' bottoms are just tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife through the bottom, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• Trim the rest of the leaves off the artichokes and scrape out the chokes (the fuzzy centers) with a spoon. Cut the bottoms into quarters and the stems into 1/4-inch rounds.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 7 minutes. Add the artichokes, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
• Strip the leaves away from the stems of the Swiss chard. Cut the stems into 1/2-inch pieces and the leaves into 1-inch pieces, and keep the stems and leaves separate. Heat the remaining butter in another saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chard stems and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the leaves and continue to cook until the stems and leaves are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the chard and add it to the artichokes and onion and toss to combine.
• Put the artichokes, onion and chard into a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish. Drizzle the cream and sprinkle the Parmesan over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until the cheese is melted and the cream is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Raise the heat to 425 degrees F, sprinkle on the bread crumbs and bake again until bread crumbs are browned and the inside of the gratin is hot, another 7 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

LEEK AND SWISS CHARD TART

Steps:

• Turn out pate brisee onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch springform pan with a removable bottom. Using a paring knife, trim dough to form 1 1/2- to 2-inch-high sides. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line dough with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edge just begins to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Bake until pale gold, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add leeks, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add wine and Swiss chard leaves, and cook until liquid has evaporated and chard has wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour until incorporated. Slowly whisk in milk, and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Combine leek mixture, milk mixture, mustard, and egg. Season with salt and pepper, and stir.
• Spread leek mixture into tart shell, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Bake until top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, and serve warm.

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.