Mmmmmm… vegetables! So delicious, I can’t wait to eat more vegetables.
That is not me. That is the me I wish I was. That is the me I am trying to become. Buying a share in a farm is really helping me get on that bandwagon, but I think it’s still going to take some time. Week 4’s drop off was fantastic: kale, Swiss chard, beets, mixed lettuces, summer squash and loads of basil. They are all beautiful to look at and they smell delicious but I did have a moment where I asked myself “great, now what.” I passed on the lettuces and the basil to my parents since my grandparents are coming into town this weekend to check out our local Jazz Festival. The kale is being turned into baby food unless I can find the recipe for Olive Garden’s potato and sausage soup. The beets may be turned into cake. The basil will go into EVERYTHING! The squash will be eaten as a side dish. But the Swiss chard, I had glorious plans for this one.
Enter Natural Home magazine. I pick this up from time to time when I’m feeling especially green. I was flipping through a somewhat recent issue at my parent’s house and stumbled upon this gem of a recipe. My dad looked it over and was about as excited as I was. I knew I had everything I needed at home to make this (or ingredients that would be close enough to work) so when my Good Earth delivery arrived I started cooking.
At first glance this recipe looks labor intensive, but it’s really not. I was able to clean my kitchen and make two batches of baby food for little one while this was cooking. I cooked everything in my Dutch oven to avoid lots of dishes. How much is a “bunch of Swiss chard?” No idea, I used what we had. It cooks down quite a bit, and after using the food processor I had a cup of veggies. I used Magi (chicken broth) since I didn’t have vegetable broth on hand. I used Chardonnay as my white wine. We didn’t have any type of Swiss cheese in the house. I had Manchego (Spanish sheep cheese) or parmesan (Italian) to choose from. Geographically, Italy is much closer to Switzerland than Spain so I went with the parmesan.
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch organic Swiss chard
1 cup water
1 cup pearl barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth, divided
3 ounces Gruyere (or other Swiss cheese), grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch organic Swiss chard
1 cup water
1 cup pearl barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth, divided
3 ounces Gruyere (or other Swiss cheese), grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mince onion and toss with butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, stirring regularly until translucent (about 5 minutes). In the meantime, wash chard, remove thick ends of stems, roll leaves like a cigar, and slice thinly. Add chard to pan and toss until wilted (about 2 minutes). Add a cup of water, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 4 minutes.
Set a strainer over a medium bowl and strain cooked onion and chard, collecting pot liquor. Press veggies with a spoon to release liquid, and set liquid aside. Process chard and onion in a food processor until smooth and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and toss in barley, stirring to coat. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes, until barley begins to toast. Add wine and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add green liquid from chard and 2 cups of broth. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir every 5 to 6 minutes for about 45 minutes, adding broth whenever mixture thickens. When barley is cooked (it should be soft but chewy), add pureed vegetables and cheese, stirring until well blended. Season to taste.
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