Friday, June 17, 2011

CSA Week 3: Swiss Chard

The CSA parade of greens continues. In this week's box: dill seedling, peas, garlic scapes, spring onions, lettuce, swiss chard, and sweet cherries. I used the cherries to make some quick cherry-chocolate chip muffins yesterday.


I used the swiss chard, garlic scapes, and spring onions to make a quick pasta for last night's dinner. Swiss chard is super tasty, and you can eat the stems - they just need a little longer to cook.


Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. pasta, prepared according to package directions
  • 1 large bunch of swiss chard, thoroughly washed, leaves torn, stems chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (I used a garlic scape)
  • 3-4 spring onions, sliced (or use 1 regular onion)
  • 1/4 C. pine nuts
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste
  • feta cheese for garnish
Start cooking the pasta. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the stems of the swiss chard and saute for about 10 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the leaves and continue cooking until the leaves have wilted, about 5-10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add the drained pasta, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of feta cheese on top.

Note about cleaning greens: This time of year is when I'm glad to have a salad spinner. I have a tiny kitchen, so I'm not one for kitchen gadgets, but between the CSA, the farmer's market, and what we're growing out back, the salad spinner saves me a lot of time cleaning the grit off of all the yummy greens we're eating. 

If you don't have a salad spinner, here's a tip: Fill your sink halfway with cold water. Add the greens and swish them around to remove the grit (they should float in the water). The grit will fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove the leaves to a colander on the counter and shake out the excess water. Dry the greens with a towel before using. Don't forget to clean out your sink before you use it to wash dishes (not that I've ever done that or anything...)

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