Shell Beans And Potato Ragout With Swiss Chard Recipes

SHELL BEANS AND POTATO RAGOUT WITH SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; Fill a bowl with ice water then stem the chard, setting aside the stems, and wash the leaves thoroughly in two changes of water.
• Wash the stems, trim away the ends and dice then set aside.
• When the pot of water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard leaves; Blanch for one to two minutes, until tender but still bright, and transfer to the bowl of ice water.
• Drain, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion.
• Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about two minutes, and add the diced chard stems; Cook, stirring often, for about two minutes, until the stems begin to soften, and add the garlic.
• Stir together for a minute, and add the beans, potatoes, water (just enough to cover everything) and bouquet garni.;Bring to a simmer.
• Add salt to taste. then cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the beans are tender.
• Add the blanched chard, and simmer for another two to three minutes adding pepper, and then taste and adjust salt.
• Remove the bouquet garni and stir in the parsley and marjoram, then serve, passing Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

RED CHARD, POTATO AND WHITE BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Drain the beans and combine with 1 quart of fresh water in a casserole or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam, then add the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Meanwhile, stem and clean the red chard leaves in 2 changes of water. Rinse the stems and dice. Set aside. Cut the leaves in ribbons, or coarsely chop, and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chard stems. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stir together, then transfer to pot with the beans. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and beans are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
• Add the chard and thyme leaves to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The chard should be very tender. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste and the parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve, passing the Parmesan to sprinkle on the top.

SHELL BEANS AND POTATO RAGOUT WITH SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Stem the chard, setting aside the stems, and wash the leaves thoroughly in two changes of water. Wash the stems, trim away the ends and dice. Set aside. When the pot of water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard leaves. Blanch for one to two minutes, until tender but still bright, and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Drain, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about two minutes, and add the diced chard stems. Cook, stirring often, for about two minutes, until the stems begin to soften, and add the garlic. Stir together for a minute, and add the beans, potatoes, water (just enough to cover everything) and bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste. Cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the beans are tender. Add the blanched chard, and simmer for another two to three minutes. Add pepper, and then taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the parsley and marjoram, and serve, passing Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

SHELL BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the shell beans, onion, crushed garlic clove, bouquet garni and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard onion and garlic clove.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add leeks and celery. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and stir in minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Stir leek and tomato mixture into beans, along with summer squash. Bring back to a simmer and cook 15 minutes, until beans are creamy-tender but intact and the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove bouquet garni.
• Ladle ragout into wide bowls. Top each serving with a generous sprinkling of slivered basil leaves and a spoonful of Parmesan.

SWISS CHARD AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with cold salted water, and add the whole peeled potatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook the potatoes about halfway, about 15 minutes. Add the shredded chard, and cook until the leaves are very tender, 15 minutes or more, depending on the size. Drain well in a colander.
• Wipe out the pot, and return it to the stovetop. Pour 1/3 cup of the olive oil and the crushed garlic into the pot set over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is light golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Slice in the butter; once it has melted, add the drained potatoes and chard. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Mash coarsely with a potato masher. Let cook a few minutes to remove any excess liquid, stir in the almonds, and serve hot.
• note
• If you buy young Swiss chard, cook the stems and leaves all at the same time. If you buy Swiss chard with larger leaves and stalks, trim the stems from the leaves and cook them for 10 minutes before adding the leaves.