Cavatelli With Beets And Swiss Chard Recipes

CAVATELLI WITH BEETS AND SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Remove and discard crust from bread, and pulse bread in food processor into soft, small crumbs. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine breadcrumbs and rosemary in a small bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil onto a plate or a shallow bowl. Coat each round of goat cheese in olive oil, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Arrange cheese on the prepared parchment-lined pan or on a large plate, and place in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut beets in half, and toss with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Arrange beets in one layer on aluminum foil, cut side down, and place rosemary sprig on top of the beets. Cover beets with another piece of aluminum foil, and seal the edges all around, creating a rectangular packet. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven until beets are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel beets; cut the larger ones in half, and set aside.
• Strip chard leaves from stems. Discard stems, or saute for later use. Rinse and drain the leaves. Do not dry them. Place chard leaves in a large pot over medium heat, and sprinkle them with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover pot, and cook over medium heat, opening the lid only to stir, until just wilted. Remove from the heat, return to the colander, and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking. Using your hands, gently squeeze any excess water from chard, and coarsely chop; you should have about 2 cups. Set chard aside, but leave the pot on stove.
• Meanwhile, fill a pasta pot with water, and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, and stir in pasta. Let cook until pasta is al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain in a colander, and set aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in the chard pot over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook slowly until garlic is just toasted, stirring often. Add chard, remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and saute until chard is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add pasta, toss, and cook just until hot. Adjust seasoning to taste with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and transfer pasta to a large serving platter. Arrange beets over pasta.
• Bake cheese in the oven until very soft to the touch, heated through, and golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven, arrange hot cheese around platter of pasta, and serve immediately.

SWISS CHARD AND BEET SAUTé

Steps:

• Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels. Add onion to drippings and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chard and cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Add vinegar and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix in bacon and beets. Season generously with salt and pepper.

CAVATELLI WITH BROWN BUTTER BEETS, RICOTTA AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine ricotta, orange zest and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 5 tablespoons of butter. Cook until foam subsides and butter is a deep hazelnut color, about 5 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it doesn't burn.) Stir in beets and season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until beets are very tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook cavatelli until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
• Transfer pasta to a large warmed serving bowl. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the grated cheese and most of the reserved liquid. Toss well; add remaining cooking liquid if necessary to reach a creamy consistency. Stir in beet mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Dollop spoonfuls of seasoned ricotta on top of pasta and sprinkle with pistachios and cracked black pepper.

SWISS CHARD WITH BEETS, GOAT CHEESE, AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.
• Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
• Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BEET SALAD WITH HONEY-LAVENDER DRESSING

Steps:

• Beets: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle medium beets with olive oil in a baking pan; season with salt. Place in a single layer and add 1 cup water. Cover with parchment, then foil, and roast until knife-tender, about 1 1/2 hours. When cool enough to handle, rub off peels with paper towels (use a paring knife for tough spots); discard. Cut beets into bite-size pieces.
• Dressing: Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over low. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add honey and lavender; simmer until lavender is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Puree with yolk, vinegar, and mustard in a blender or food processor until smooth. With machine running, slowly add safflower oil until combined. (If dressing is too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time.)
• Salad: Combine roasted beets, chard, and pecans in a bowl. Lightly toss with 1/4 cup dressing. Place 1 tablespoon dressing on bottom of each plate, then add salad mixture and goat cheese, dividing evenly. Top with baby beets and serve, with remaining dressing on the side.

BEETS WITH PINE NUTS, SWISS CHARD AND BEET GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim the stalks from the beets and place them, in their skins, on a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake them for about an hour and a half, or until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Cool and slip off the skins and cut the beets in one-and-a-half-inch cubes.
• Meanwhile, place the pine nuts in a small pan and roast them until they are golden (about 10 minutes).
• Remove the stalks from Swiss chard and beet greens. Saute Swiss chard leaves and beet greens in the peanut oil or vegetable oil until wilted, which will have to be done in two batches. Place in a serving dish and keep warm if serving right away.
• Combine the olive oil with the garlic, mustard and vinegar. Press down on the garlic with the tines of a fork to extract the juice. Remove the garlic and season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the beets, toss and correct seasoning. Place the beets on top of the greens and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature; do not refrigerate.

SWISS CHARD WITH BEETS

Steps:

• Cut stems from chard; coarsely chop stems and leaves separately. Fill a Dutch oven with water; bring to a boil. Add chard leaves. Return to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or just until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside., In a large skillet, saute the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and chard stems in oil for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Gently squeeze excess moisture from chard leaves. Add leaves and beets to skillet; saute for 1 minute. Add lemon juice; heat through. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese and walnuts. ,