Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Chard with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts



I have been trying to acquire a taste for cooked greens in the last couple of years. Particularly rainbow chard, because it is so lovely in the garden and has such a long growing season. The first time I planted chard, it lasted through the summer, through the winter and into the following year.

This recipe, adapted from Deborah Madison's instructions in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, may have helped me reach my goal. Don't be put off by the seemingly high cost of pine nuts. A small amount packs a lot of flavor and they are very lightweight. If you buy a little at a time in bulk, it is definitely worth the money.

Chard with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

About 12-15 large chard leaves, washed
2 T olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
several basil leaves, slivered
handful of cherry tomatoes (I used Sungolds)
1 T pine nuts
salt and pepper

Trim the stems from the chard leaves and discard (or use for another dish if you like them). Chop the leaves and boil for 5 minutes in salted water, 8 minutes for older, tougher leaves. Drain.

Heat olive oil, garlic, and basil. Add chard, whole tomatoes, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are warm and toss together well.

Serves 2-3.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this recipe and I made one alteration which wasn't entirely satisfactory. I like the flavor of toasted pine nuts so I sauteed them together with the garlic and basil to try to bring out that flavor. Unfortunately, that didn't quite achieve the result I was aiming for as the pine nuts didn't brown before it was time to add the chard and tomatoes. I think next time I would pre-toast the pine nuts before adding them along with the chard and tomatoes.