Swiss Chard SoufflÉ Recipes

STUFFED SWISS CHARD LEAVES

Steps:

• Put a large pot of water on to boil.
• While it comes to a boil, trim the Swiss chard : cut out the stem, but also cut out any of the larger white "ribs" so the leaf will be very flexible and easy to work with.
• Finely chop the stems and set them aside.
• Blanch the chard leaves , dipping them into the boiling water until they wilt, about 30 seconds, drain and rinse with cold water to plunge into a bowl of ice water to cool and set the green color.
• Chop 1 of the onions, mince the garlic, and peel and finely chop carrots and/or parsnip. In a large saute pan, braising pan, or wide pot, heat the oil.
• Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and saute, cooking and stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the carrot(s) and/or parsnip and the chard stems to the onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender about 10 minutes total.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl.
• Add the rice and combine, then add the lamb and black pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
• Wipe out the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Peel and halve the other onion and add it to the tomatoes.
• Add the chile flakes, if using. Simmer the tomatoes over medium-low heat, reducing the heat if needed to keep the tomatoes simmering very gently until the butter separates out from the tomatoes and the onion is very soft, about 30 minutes.
• Taste and add more salt to taste, if you like.
• While the sauce simmers, prepare the stuffed chard leaves. Working with 1 leaf at a time, squeeze any excess water from the leaf and lay it on a clean, flat work surface. Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of the stuffing at one end of the leaf. Bring the shorter end of the leaf over the stuffing, fold in the sides to encase the stuffing, and then roll up with the remaining leaf. If you know how to fold a burrito or spring roll, it's the same principle; if you don't, don't worry about it-any way you get the stuffing encased and folded into the leaf will be fine. Wrap it like a package, just roll it up and tuck in the sides. The leaves are flexible and the final product can have your unique stamp.
• Remove the onion halves from the tomato sauce and discard them.
• Add about 1/2 cup water to the tomato sauce and bring back to a simmer.
• Set the stuffed chard leaves in the tomato sauce, cover, and cook until the meat and rice are cooked through and tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Check on the pot occasionally - if the tomato sauce seems too thick or is starting to stick to the pan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and sort of stir it in between the chard bundles and adjust the heat to maintain a steady but gentle simmer. Serve the Swiss chard bundles hot, with the sauce on top or on the side, as people like.

SIMPLE SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

CREAMED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil over medium-high. Gradually add chard and cook until it is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible.
• In pot, melt butter. Whisking constantly, add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Cook, whisking along bottom of pot, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard and stir until coated. Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

SWISS CHARD SOUFFLE WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Butter an eight-cup souffle dish and dust it with the bread crumbs. Set aside.
• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add half the chopped onion and saute over medium heat until it is soft but not brown. Add the garlic and stir, then add the Swiss chard. Stir-fry the mixture over high heat until the Swiss chard has wilted, about five minutes.
• Chop the mixture in a food processor until very fine. Add the ricotta, flour and egg yolk, and process until smooth. Stir in one-half teaspoon of the thyme. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (The souffle can be prepared ahead up to this point.)
• For the sauce, heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet and saute the remaining onion until it is soft but not brown. Stir in the tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick. Add the remaining thyme, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Stir one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then fold the ricotta mixture into the remaining egg whites.
• Spoon the mixture into the dish. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake about 25 minutes longer, until the souffle is puffed, lightly browned and firm.
• While the souffle is baking, reheat the tomato sauce. Serve at once, with the tomato sauce on the side.

SWISS CHARD SOUFFLÉ

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cover the porcini mushrooms with hot water and let stand until they are softened, about 20 minutes. Lift the porcini from the water, squeeze dry and coarsely chop. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat. Stir in the flour until blended. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring the béchamel to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until no floury taste remains and the béchamel is very thick, about 20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer the béchamel to a large bowl and, while it is still hot, whisk in the pecorino and egg yolks. In a large skillet, cook the Swiss chard over moderately high heat in batches, one handful at a time, until the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer the chard to a colander to cool, then squeeze dry. Coarsely chop the chard. In the same large skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the Swiss chard and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until it's heated through and coated with butter, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the chopped chard into the béchamel along with the porcini mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Butter an 8-cup ceramic soufflé dish. In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of the beaten whites into the chard mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared dish and run your thumb around the inside of the rim to help the soufflé rise evenly. Bake until the soufflé rises and is golden brown on top and slightly soft in the center, about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Serve right away.