Swiss Chard Ricotta Malfatti

I love these big veggie cheese dumplings – thanks Epicurious for another great recipe! Be warned they are a little funky and you need to hold back your desire to add more flour. I always freeze them before cooking, I’m just to worried they will fall apart in the boiling water if I don’t. 3 of these is perfect for a meal, pop the rest in a zip lock bag once completely frozen for a quick weeknight meal. They are not very pretty, but what they lack in looks they make up for in taste.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb Swiss chard, center ribs and stems removed
2 tsp salt
1/2 c
1 1/4 c whole-milk ricotta, drained
5 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 c all-purpose flour
12 sage leaves
pepper
Finely grated Parmesan

Cook chard in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to ice water; let sit until cold.

Squeeze chard dry. Transfer to a large double layer of cheesecloth; gather ends and squeeze to thoroughly wring out liquid (be sure to use cheesecloth; the chard will stain a kitchen towel).

Pulse chard in a food processor until minced, about 30 seconds. Return chard to cheesecloth; wring out again to remove any remaining liquid.

Transfer chard to a large bowl. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add melted butter, ricotta, egg yolks, egg, 1/4 c flour, and 2 teaspoons salt to chard. Using an electric mixer, beat until a dough forms, 1-2 minutes – it will be sticky!!

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Scoop out scant 2 tablespoons dough; dust with flour and roll between your palms to form an oval-shaped malfatto; place on sheet. Repeat with remaining dough to form 24 malfatti. Freeze on baking sheet, then transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag. Keep frozen.

Working in 2 batches, cook malfatti in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, 6-8 minutes per batch (8-10 minutes if frozen). They will float to the top. Scoop out.

Heat remaining 1/4 c butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sage and cook until butter foams and begins to turn brown and sage becomes crispy, about 30 seconds. Season sage brown butter with salt and pepper. Divide malfatti among plates; spoon sage brown butter over. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serves 6 – 8.

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Chard and Parmesan Cheese

Simple is generally better, especially when you buy fresh quality ingredients! This is a great weeknight dish that is sure to please.

Ingredients:
2 bunches of chard, stems removed
2 TBSP butter
1/4 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook chard for 4 minutes. Remove and drain. Wring out water and chop.

In a large 12 inch skillet, melt butter and add chard, toss to warm, add cheese and stir.

Serves 4.

Chicken Sausage and Chard

Its near the end of the week and the situation in the fridge is looking a little bleak, so I work with what’s there and come up with dinner. I have to say this one surprised me – the sweetness of the chicken and Italian ingredients really made for a delightful meal. You could easily toss this dish with pasta or serve on polenta for a heartier meal.

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken sausage, removed from casing
2 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of chard, chopped
1/2 c white wine
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c golden raisins
3 TBSP pine nuts
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

Cook over medium-high heat breaking up into bite-size chunks until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add onions and garlic, sauté about 3 minutes, add kale and cook for 5 more minutes. Add wine, raisins, nutmeg, pine nuts, chili flakes and cook for 5 minutes until wine is absorbed.

Serve and enjoy with just a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top!

Serves 4.9

Chard Gnocchi in Brown Butter

I love gnocchi, especially non-traditional gnocchi made with veggies and cheese! It is super easy to make and it freezes wonderfully, so I always make a big batch for a quick weeknight meal. My gnocchi are more log like, if you want pretty ones roll a fork over them once cut.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds Swiss chard, stems and ribs trimmed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1/4 c butter
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 inches of salted water to boil in large pot. Add chard and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain chard; cool. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Finely chop chard in processor. Add egg and oil. Gradually mix in enough flour to form soft, slightly sticky dough.

Dust baking sheet with flour. Working in batches and using floured hands, roll 1/4 cup dough on lightly floured work surface to form 12-inch-long rope. Cut rope into 1-inch pieces. Transfer gnocchi to prepared baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting and shaping with remaining dough. At this point you can freeze them on the baking sheet then pop them into an airtight bag once frozen.

Working in batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until gnocchi rise to surface and are tender, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to large bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi and sauté until coated with butter and heated through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Serves 8.

Bacon and Chard Pasta

Pasta with veggies and bacon – what could be better? This dish comes together super quick and is perfect for a weeknight meal, or weekend where you feel too tired to cook. I wash and remove the stems from the chard the day I buy it from the farmers market them wrap it in a couple paper towels and store on a Tupperware container till I need it, it will last over a week this way. The best past all the prep work is done ahead of time.

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta
6 oz bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1 large red onion, halved, sliced
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stemmed, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cook bacon in heavy large pan over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and sauté over medium-high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add Swiss chard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add pasta cooking liquid to skillet. Toss until chard is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar over; cook 1 minute.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta to sauce in pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6 servings
7 WW PP per serving.

Chard with Onions

I love chard. As soon as I bring it home from the farmers market, I rinse them, dry em, pull them from their ribs and wrap it in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag. The leaves keep for up to a week this way and make for a really quick meal during the week. The sweetness of the onions offset the chard perfectly.

Ingredients
1 lb green Swiss chard
1 TBSP olive oil
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Preparation
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Stack chard leaves and roll up lengthwise into cylinders.

Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, then cook onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until wilted, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.

2 servings
1 WW PP

Spiced Swiss Chard and Onions

I love bitter greens! My husband hates them, but he LOVED this dish. The onions add a nice sweetness and the vinegar and chiles add the perfect balance. This is a great dish to enjoy in the winter when the chard is so beautiful in the California farmers markets.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 lb swiss chard, ribs removed and thinly sliced
1 TBSP olive oil
Red Pepper flakes
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Wash the swiss chard well, remove from main rib and roll several leaved up into cigars – thinly slice these cigars to make ribbons.

Heat olive oil over medium heat, once shimmery, add onions and saute about 5 min until soft.

Add swiss chard, pepper flakes, salt & pepper and cover. Stirring frequently, until softened about 5 min.

Add red wine vinegar, stir and cook for 1 – 2 more minutes.

Serves 2, but can be easily doubled.
3 WW PP