We had kale
and Bright Lights Swiss Chard ready to harvest about the same time this recipe
showed up in the local newspaper. We
made half of the recipe shown below from MarthaStewart.com and used chard in place of the escarole.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon
plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and
sliced
7 cloves garlic
Coarse salt
1 large bunch kale (about 1 1/2 pounds), stems
and center ribs discarded, roughly chopped
1 large head escarole (1 to 1 1/2 pounds),
trimmed and roughly chopped2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, 1/4 cup bean liquid reserved and beans drained
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 3/4 cup)
Directions:
1.Heat a
large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and half the
mushrooms. Saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown and
tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool. Repeat with 1 more
teaspoon oil and the remaining mushrooms.
2.Chop 6
garlic cloves. Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat in a large saute pan or skillet.
Add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute (do
not let brown). Raise heat to medium-high, and add 1/2 cup water. Add
two-thirds of the kale; cover, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Add
remaining kale. Cover, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in escarole, and add a little
more water if pan is dry. Cover, and cook ntil greens are wilted and tender,
about 4 minutes. Remove lid, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid
evaporates.
3.Preheat
oven to 375 degrees. Coat bottom of a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1
teaspoon oil. Place beans in a food processor. Finely grate remaining garlic
clove over beans. Puree 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, add reserved bean
liquid, and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Add oregano, and pulse until
just combined.
4.Coarsely chop tomatoes, reserving juices.
Combine tomatoes and juices with red-pepper flakes, and spread one third in
baking dish. Top with half the greens. Spread half the bean puree over the
greens with a small offset spatula, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese.
Scatter evenly with three-quarters of the mushrooms.
5.Continue layering with a third of the
tomatoes, the remaining greens, and a third of the cheese. Dot top with
spoonfuls of remaining bean puree, using the back of the spoon to slightly
flatten mounds (it will spread as it bakes). Layer with remaining mushrooms,
tomatoes, and cheese.
Cover with foil, being careful not to let foil touch
surface, and bake until bubbling around edges and hot but not bubbling in
center, 30 to 35 minutes.
6.Turn on
broiler. Transfer lasagna to broiler, and cook until top just turns golden
brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Bev wanted
some meatballs (from the freezer) added to it and when I cooked them they fell
apart and then I forgot to add them to the casserole anyway. We just ate the meat with the casserole and
it worked very well.
We both really enjoyed
the casserole as well as the meat.
Header photo - When the garden begins to come in, we like to plan our meals based upon what we have rather than what we want to eat. I’ve posted this before, but I think it deserves a redo because if you like peas and you like chicken and dumplins, I have to believe you’ll love peas and dumpling. She cooks the peas in just enough chicken broth to cover them and when half done, she adds milk mixed with a little flour (for thickening) and when boiling, she drops in biscuits, reduces the heat to simmer, covers, and cooks until they are done (about 10 minutes).
All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have a great
day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
One year
ago: Finally A Trip To New England
Two years
ago: Pulled Pork Enchilasagna Verde
Larry
4/26/12 meal date
4/26/12 meal date
I love the colors on that chard. I bet it's pretty in your garden.
ReplyDeleteHi There, I'm trying to begin catching up -after being gone for a week.
ReplyDeleteI'd love the special lasagna meal ---and putting the meatballs on the side is a great idea.
The peas and dumplings dish looks great also... Enjoy your garden!!!!
Betsy
Larry, I like your new cover photo...nothing like dumplings, peas and gravy for comfort food...except that I would definitely add the chicken too! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteWow Larry! You have given me a serious lasagna craving. It looks and sounds FANTASTIC!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for Lasagna! Looks delicious and I love the idea of eating from the garden, too. Those peas and dumplings look fab, too!
ReplyDeleteWe do the same thing once the garden starts producing in abundance. What I feel like eating will take a back seat to what I need to use first. Squash will be included in at least half of our meals between now and July. Your dumplings look great!
ReplyDeleteI love Springtime at Almost Heaven. All these beautiful dishes with fresh vegetables. And I better pay close attention this year, I've joined a CSA so will have lots of vegetables delivered to my door. And man that header shot looks sinfully wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYou are killing me with that peas and dumplings photo up there. Sounds so good too!
ReplyDeleteI almost bought a bunch of swiss chard yesterday at the market but didn't because I didn't have any ideas of what to use it for. Doh!
ReplyDeleteMy family has always prepared recipes with swiss chard and we love it. Now I've got to start using kale too and this recipe is a perfect place to begin! I agree with your philosophy Larry: prepare meals with what is fresh and on hand! The flavor rocks!
ReplyDelete