I run into this problem at Thanksgiving as well. I obviously have to have cauliflower on the table ... but steak-style with gremolata? Curried soup? Gratin? Roasted with a chimichurri? Raw and shaved in a salad?
How can I leave one out? Can we have an eight course meal, all highlighting the beauty and versatility of cauliflower?
Oh, crap, we also have to have brussels sprouts. And so I spiral.
To give you some insight into my particular brand of crazy; I make eight pies for Thanksgiving. We have nine guests.
When I start with a single ingredient; be it miso, Swiss chard, Meyer lemon or sambal — the things I’ve made and tasted flash in my mind like a maniacal slideshow. I’m rendered powerless to select just one.
So, I’ve passed the choice off to one of my favorite local farms. Foxhole Farm is a holistically run farm in Brookville, Ohio which, lucky for me, has a booth at the Oakwood Farmers Market.
Knowing a farmer is like having a guy on the inside and that’s just what Sam is.
For this four part market-inspired series, Sam will tell me what is at its absolute peak on the farm. I will still have to select a preparation method, but thankfully I won’t have to choose the ingredient itself, thus avoiding the feeling that I’ve left for summer vacation and forgotten one of my children at home.
Please visit Sam and the other vendors at the Oakwood Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-noon every Saturday. She and her husband have created a special place of which we get to reap what they’ve sewed, literally.
Throughout the summer her offerings change; piles of beets, leeks, greens, the most beautiful salad mix and little containers of microgreens are just a bit of what you’ll find all artfully spread on her market tables. She’s an absolute joy, which is a bonus.
This week we’re going to start with Swiss chard. It’s a luscious green leaf with pink stems, often mistaken for rhubarb. The stems are tender enough to eat when briefly sauteed.
If you are not eating Swiss chard regularly this summer, you’ve probably never had it sauteed with garlic and red chili flakes. You’ve probably never used that as your base recipe and put it on top of a sturdy piece of goat cheese-schmeared sourdough. You’ve probably never piled those silky greens into some linguine and topped them with cracked black pepper and a pile of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Have you ever mixed it into some slightly runny scrambled eggs? I’m asking, because you should.
We’ll start with this foundational recipe. You can add this simple sauteed chard to quiche or scrambled eggs. You can pour it into a pasta or top some toast.
I’ve written the recipe to be a complete side dish, finished with garlicky bread crumbs and perfect when sidled up against some grilled meat. If you’re adding the chard to something else, you can leave the bread crumbs off.
They might get their feelings hurt, but that’s on you.
“But First, Food” columnist Whitney Kling is a recipe developer who lives in Southwest Ohio with her four kids, two cats and a food memoir that’s ever-nearing completion. If she’s not playing tennis or at a yoga class, she’s in the kitchen creating something totally addictive — and usually writing about it.
SWISS CHARD WITH GARLICKY BREAD CRUMBS
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 20 minutes
For the bread crumbs:
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 slices old bread, run through the food processor
1 t Kosher salt
½ t pepper
1 T Pecorino Romano (optional)
For the chard:
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
1 t red pepper flakes
2 bunches Swiss chard, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 t Kosher salt
Zest of one lemon
Make the bread crumbs
- In a medium pan, heat the oil and butter over medium low heat.
- Add the garlic and briefly saute, until soft, about one minute.
- Add the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Continue to saute over medium heat until the bread is golden and crispy.
- Remove from heat and stir in Pecorino, if using. Set aside.
Make the chard
- In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes. Stir briefly until soft and fragrant.
- Add the Swiss chard. It will look like there’s too much volume but not to worry, it shrinks. Stir the mixture so the garlic and oil is evenly distributed throughout the chard. Also, the moisture from rinsing the chard will help to steam it a bit so don’t worry that it’s wet.
- Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes, checking to see when it turns wilted and shrinks by about half.
- Uncover and let some of the moisture evaporate. Add the salt and stir.
- Remove from heat, top with bread crumbs, and finish with lemon zest.
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