Fennel and Chard Gratin with a Crispy Salsa Verde Topping

Serves 4

2 T unsalted butter
¾-pound fennel (one large bulb or a few smaller bulbs), top trimmed and fronds reserved
1 1/2 pounds chard, thoroughly washed, thick stems and leaves separated
4 ounces chèvre, cut into uniform slices
¼ cup 2% milk
3 T chicken stock
Pinch of kosher salt
Preheat oven to 400° F. Butter a 1-2 quart oval baking or gratin dish and set aside. Slice fennel bulb(s) in half lengthwise and remove core from each half. Cut side down, slice fennel about ¼ inch thick (will start as half moons and get smaller as you reach the frond end). Repeat with remaining piece(s). Slice chard stems the same way. Roll the chard leaves and chop. Melt butter in a wide sauté pan and cook over medium low heat, stirring. When butter begins to brown and smell nutty, add fennel and chard stems and cook until tender (but still holds a bite) about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of kosher salt. While fennel and chard stems are cooking, place chèvre in a small saucepan with milk and chicken stock. Heat over medium low, stirring until mixture is well combined. Turn off heat. Transfer fennel and chard stems to a colander. Gently press down vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to remove excess liquid. Move fennel and chard stems to a large bowl. Increase heat to medium high and add chard leaves to saucepan by the handful, stirring until all of it has wilted. Transfer chard leaves to the colander and repeat with the wooden spoon. Once you have removed excess liquid, place chard leaves into the bowl with fennel and chard stems. Add chèvre mixture to vegetables and transfer to prepared gratin dish, spreading evenly. Top fennel and chard with salsa verde bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes. When finished, gratin should be bubbling and top golden. Remove and allow gratin to cool for a few minutes.
For Topping½ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 T reserved fennel fronds (feathery parts, not stalk), finely chopped
12-imported oil cured black olives, pitted and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of ½ an orange (I used a Cara Cara)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs

Combine parsley, fennel fronds, olives, minced garlic, orange juice and olive oil in a bowl. When you are ready to put gratin in oven, add breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

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Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Chard and Carrots

Serves 6
A lush bunch of red Swiss chard that I got at the farmers’ market was the inspiration for this stir-fry. The stems, which stay nice and crunchy, are an important ingredient in the stir-fry, so look for chard with nice wide ribs.
1 generous bunch of red chard (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), stemmed and washed well in 2 changes of water (retain the stems)
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic (to taste)
2 to 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (to taste)
2 eggs
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons peanut, canola, rice bran or grape seed oil
1 medium carrot, cut in 2-inch julienne
1 bunch scallions, sliced, dark green parts separated
4 cups cooked brown rice, either chilled or at room temperature
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Dice the thick part of the red chard stems (discard the stringier, tapering part of the stems); you should have 1 to 1 1/2 cups diced stems. Stack leaves and cut in slivers, or coarsely chop. You should have about 8 cups (the leaves will lose a lot of volume when they wilt in the stir-fry). Combine garlic and ginger in a small bowl or ramekin and place near your wok. Beat eggs in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Prepare the other ingredients and place in separate bowls within arm’s reach of your wok. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of oil by adding it to the sides of the wok and swirling the wok. Make sure that the bottom of the wok or pan is coated with oil and add eggs, swirling the wok or pan so that the eggs form a thin pancake. Cook 30 – 60 seconds, until set. Using a spatula, turn pancake over and cook for 5 to 10 more seconds, until thoroughly set, then transfer to a plate or cutting board and quickly cut into strips, using the edge of your spatula or a knife.
Swirl in remaining oil and add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add chard stems and carrots. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until crisp-tender, and add light part of the scallions and chard leaves. Stir-fry until leaves wilt, 1 to 2 minutes, and add rice. Stir-fry, scooping up the rice with your spatula then pressing it into the hot wok or pan and scooping it up again, for about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, dark green part of the scallions, eggs and cilantro, stir-fry for about 30 seconds, remove from heat and serve.
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Chard and Garlic Scape Pesto

(Makes about 3 cups of pesto, recipe created by Kalyn.)

To make this recipe you will need a food processor.

1 cup chopped garlic scapes
(If you don't have garlic scapes I'd use about 3-4 T minced garlic)
4 cups chopped swiss chard leaves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cups Parmesan cheese
salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp. salt)

Wash and dry garlic scapes; then cut into short lengths until you have one cup of chopped scapes. Wash, dry, and chop swiss chard until you have 4 cups chopped chard. Add garlic scapes to the food processor and process until they are starting to look finely chopped, about 2-3 minutes. (It took longer than I thought it would.) Add chard and process the mixture about 2 minutes more, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and pine nuts and process about 2 minutes more. Add Parmesan and process 1-2 minutes more, or until the pesto reaches the texture you prefer. I like to keep it slightly chunky. I froze the pesto in a mini muffin tin and then popped out the cubes and stored them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. You can also freeze pesto in ice cube trays or small plastic containers with a snap-tight lid. This pesto is good on pasta, stirred into rice, on cooked vegetables, or stirred into scrambled eggs. You could also use it as a green sauce on cooked fish or chicken.

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Roasted Beets and Red Chard Greens

4 servings
1 pound/450 g red Swiss chard, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 bunch of beets, with greens
2 tablespoons/15 ml olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Wash the beets and greens, leaving the skins on. Remove the greens close to the roots, take off the stems and tear the beet greens into 2-inch pieces. Put aside. Drop the beets in salted boiling water and let simmer until tender, for 25 minutes. Drain the water and let them cool in cold water. Peel by rubbing them with a rag. Put aside. You can also use a peeler. When the beets are done, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot, garlic and beets and cook for 5 minutes. Add the red chard and the beet greens and cook for 1 minute, until the greens wilt. Add the butter and a little water and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm and serve with fried skate. 
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Polenta Pizzas with Kale, Chard, and Parsley Pesto

For the polenta pizza crust:
3 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups polenta
For the kale and maitake mushroom topping:
1 large leek, sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mirin
2 maitake mushrooms
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup pasta sauce
For the chard and parsley pesto topping:
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Parsley Walnut Pesto (recipe follows)
For the parsley walnut pesto:
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup toasted walnuts
11/2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt
 
For the crust, over high heat, bring stock to boil. Reduce heat to medium and add salt, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper and olive oil. Whisking continuously, pour in polenta and continue whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick. Pour into two 11-inch tart pans and spread evenly over bottom of each pan. Cool slightly and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 350°F and place pizza stone or baking sheet on middle rack. Remove polenta from refrigerator, sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer polenta to stone or baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. For kale pizza, place large skillet over medium heat and sauté leek in 11/2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and sauté 2 minutes longer. Crumble maitake mushrooms, add to pan and sauté 5 minutes or until soft. Fold in kale and sauté 3 minutes longer. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, season to taste with salt and black pepper and remove from heat. For chard pizza, sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft, following the directions for the kale topping. Add chard, sauté 1 minute, remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. For the parsley walnut pesto, with food processor running, drop in garlic and process until minced. Turn off processor, scrape down sides and add walnuts, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Process to mince all ingredients and combine. Season to taste with salt and thin with extra olive oil to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate or freeze in airtight container until ready to use. Spread pasta sauce or parsley pesto evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch edge. Top with kale or chard mixture and return to oven to bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut with pizza wheel and serve.
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