Bruschetta With Swiss Chard Pine Nuts And Currants Recipes

SWISS CHARD WITH CURRANTS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Place the raisins or currants in a bowl and pour on hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain.
• Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the chard. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and let sit for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop coarsely.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the chard stems and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, just until the garlic begins to smell fragrant about 1 minute. Add the chopped greens and raisins or currants and toss together until they are well coated with oil and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

BRUSCHETTAS WITH SAUTEED CHARD

Steps:

• Bring a very large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. If the stems of the chard are tough, remove them entirely from the leaves and discard. (If the stems are tender, simply cut the stems off at the base of the leaves and discard.) Wash the leaves thoroughly. Immerse the chard in the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes exactly from the moment you get all the leaves in the pot. Drain immediately but don¿t squeeze out the liquid.
• Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan. Add the sliced garlic and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the chard, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and saute for 3 minutes, tossing frequently with tongs.
• Meanwhile, toast or grill 8 slices of bread. When they're nicely browned, rub one side of each slice of bread with a cut side of the halved garlic. Place 2 slices of toasted bread on each plate, garlic side up, and use tongs to distribute the chard onto the toasts. Sprinkle each serving with lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, grated Parmesan cheese, and some fleur de sel. Drizzle the bruschetta with olive oil and serve warm. The liquid from the greens will be absorbed into the bread.

BRUSCHETTA WITH SWISS CHARD, PINE NUTS AND CURRANTS

Steps:

• Place 1/4 cup currants in small bowl. Add enough warm water to cover currants. Soak 20 minutes. Drain well. Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and pale golden, about 1 minute. Add Swiss chard. Sauté until chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in pine nuts and currants. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Arrange bread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake bread until golden, about 5 minutes. Brush remaining 1 tablespoon oil over bread slices. Top with warm chard mixture, dividing equally. Arrange on platter and serve.

BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown (it can be golden). Pour the garlic and oil into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
• Add the red and yellow tomatoes, balsamic and basil to the bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and then taste and add more basil if needed, and more salt if needed (don't over salt, though!) Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two if you have the time.
• Cut the baguette into diagonal slices to allow for the most surface area possible. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and grill half the bread on both sides, making sure they're nice and buttery. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the other half of the bread.
• To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir, and then spoon generously over the slices of bread. Serve on a big platter as a first course or appetizer.

SWISS CHARD TART WITH GOAT CHEESE, CURRANTS, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk with 1/2 teaspoon water, and brush the egg wash along the border. (You will not need all of the egg wash.) Chill the puff pastry in the freezer until ready to use.
• Tear the chard into large pieces.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the shallots, and the thyme. Sauté a few minutes, and add half the Swiss chard. Cook a minute or two, tossing the greens in the oil to help them wilt. Add the second half of the greens, and season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens are tender.
• Spread the greens on a baking sheet or platter to cool. (You may want to put them in the refrigerator, so they cool more quickly.) When they've cooled, squeeze the excess water out with your hands.
• Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth, and remove to a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the crème fraîche, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry inside the scored border. Crumble half the goat cheese over the ricotta, arrange the greens on top, and sprinkle the remaining goat cheese over the tart. If you aren't ready to bake, cover the tart with plastic and chill.
• Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Check underneath the tart to make sure the crust is really cooked through (if you under-bake the tart, it will be soggy).
• Cool a few minutes, and then transfer the tart to a cutting board. Spoon some of the currant-pine nut relish over the tart and serve it on the cutting board at the table. Pass the remaining currant-pine nut relish in a small bowl for anyone who would like a little more.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toast the pine nuts for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they're golden brown and smell nutty.
• Heat a small sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the olive oil, rosemary, and chile. When the rosemary and chile start to sizzle, add the onion and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat down to low, and let the onions stew gently for about 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a small bowl to cool and discard the rosemary sprig and chile.
• While the onion is cooking, place the currants in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let the currants soak for 10 minutes, and then drain well.
• Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan the onions were in, and reduce it over medium-high heat to a scant 1 tablespoon. Stir the reduced vinegar into the onion mixture.
• Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, and parsley to the onion mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for balance and seasoning.
• Assemble the tart in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before you're ready to serve. You can make the currant-pine nut relish in the morning.

RED SWISS CHARD WITH PINE NUTS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the pine nuts in the hot oil until they turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes; watch carefully, they burn easily. Stir in the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
• Mix in the Swiss chard; cook and stir until the chard has wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Lightly stir in the chopped prosciutto; cook and stir just until prosciutto is hot, then serve.

SWISS CHARD WITH CURRANTS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Place the raisins or currants in a bowl and pour on hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain.
• Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the chard. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and let sit for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop coarsely.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the chard stems and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute or just until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the chopped greens and raisins or currants and toss together until they are well coated with oil and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

SPANISH-STYLE SWISS CHARD WITH RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and pour in enough water to reach just below the bottom of the insert. Bring the water to a boil. Add the chard and steam until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the raisins and pine nuts in the hot oil until the pine nuts turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chard, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking while stirring constantly until the chard is hot, about 2 minutes.