Swiss Chard Gratin Recipes

SWISS CHARD AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Arrange the rack in the middle of oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
• Stem the chard, keeping the leaves whole. Salt the boiling water and add the chard and let wilt. The pot will be packed at first. Boil the chard 10 minutes, drain in a colander and run under cool water. Let it drain and squeeze out any excess liquid in a clean kitchen towel. Chop.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, and then whisk in the milk. Season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the roasted garlic paste. Thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon and adjust seasonings to taste.
• Layer half the greens in a medium casserole (8 to 10 inches long). Top with half the bechamel sauce and half the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. Bake until bubbly and brown, 20 to 30.

SWISS CHARD AU GRATIN FRENCH BREAD PIZZAS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the stems from the chard but keep the leaves whole. Add the chard to the boiling water (the pot will be packed at first) and cook for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cool water. Drain again, then wrap the chard in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the excess water. Chop the chard.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Stir in 1/3 cup Roasted Garlic Paste.
• Spread half the chard in the bottom of a medium casserole dish. Top with half the garlic sauce and half the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and turn on the broiler.
• Halve the bread lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise to make four 12-inch-long pieces. Broil the bread, cut-side up, until charred, about 1 minute. Slather with the remaining Roasted Garlic Paste and top each piece with one-quarter of the chard au gratin. Cut each pizza in half and serve.
• The unbaked chard au gratin can covered be and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bring to room temperature, then bake as directed.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the garlic in a cluster on a large piece of foil and drizzle with 1/4 cup EVOO. Wrap up the garlic in the foil to make a tightly sealed pouch. Roast until very tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic from the skins into a food processor. Add the remaining 3/4 cup EVOO and the honey and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, then transfer to a small container. (Alternatively, you can mash the garlic paste with a fork instead of using a food processor.)

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• To pickle the chard, put 400ml water in a large saucepan or sauté pan with the star anise, sugar and vinegar. Put the remaining spices in a cloth bag tied with string, add to the pan, bring to the boil, then drop in the chard, stalk first. Press the chard down in the pan and simmer for 3-4 mins - don't worry if you can't cover the leaves completely in the liquid, as they will wilt and become submerged while cooking. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Once cooled, remove the chard from the pickle mix and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Lay the chard in an A4-sized baking dish. In a bowl, whisk the cream and garlic together with some seasoning, then pour over the chard. Sprinkle over the cheese and cayenne pepper, and bake for 30 mins.

SWISS CHARD AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375⁰f (190⁰c). Coat a small baking dish well with non-stick spray or cooking oil.
• Prepare your Béchamel Sauce; in a small pot met your butter over medium heat. When the butter is hot and bubbling, add all of your flour and whisk immediately to combine over medium heat, to make a roux.
• Cook your roux - stirring constantly so it doesn't burn - until it starts to smell like cookies. Now add your cold milk, all at once, and whisk well to combine and remove any remove lumps. Reduce your temperature to medium-low and season to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Whisk as it simmers to thicken. A perfect Béchamel will coat a spoon well, and if you run your finger through the sauce on the spoon and turn the spoon sideways, the sauce will not run. Once complete, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Add approximately two inches of water and a teaspoon of salt to the bottom of a large pot and place it over high heat to come to a boil while you chop your swiss chard. Chop stalks a leaves in about two inch pieces, separating the tougher stalks from the tender leaves. Once water is at a boil, complexly turn off the heat but leave the pot on the element. Now add just the chard stalks to the water and cover with a tight fitting lid. Allow to steam for around 2 - 3 minutes. Now quickly add your swiss card leaves and put the lid back on for another 2 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the chard so that all of the leaves are well wilted, then immediately drain in a colander. Run steamed chard under cold water to cool as quickly as possible.
• This is the critical step in the recipe; while still in the colander press to remove any excess liquid. Then move the wilted, cool chard to the prepared baking dish and press it again. Now hold your hand over the chard and drain of all liquid again. Pour your béchamel over the chard until it's just covered. If you prefer a looser sauce, drizzle in two table spoons of heavy cream (optional, see notes).
• Top with grated Comté cheese and bake at 375⁰f (190⁰c) for approximately 30 minutes, until the swiss chard is heated all the way through, and the sauce and the cheese are bubbling through the top. Serve immediately.

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter and toss with bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, herbs, half of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
• Boil broth in a small saucepan until reduced by half. Add cream and keep warm.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 1 minute, then whisk in broth mixture and boil, whisking, 1 minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cook onion in remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add chard stems, remaining nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Increase heat to moderately high and add chard leaves and spinach by large handfuls, stirring, until all greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer vegetables to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon. Toss vegetables with cream sauce and transfer to a buttered 12-inch oval gratin or 2-quart shallow baking dish, spreading evenly.
• Top vegetables with bread crumbs and bake in middle of oven until bubbling and topping is golden, about 20 minutes.

POTATO AND SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and place rack in the center. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; set a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Squeeze them dry and chop roughly. Boil the diced stems until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and add to chopped chard leaves.
• In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, garlic, shallot, thyme and bay leaf to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Strain out the solids and add the nutmeg.
• Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds with a mandoline or sharp knife. Butter a 12- to 14-inch gratin dish. Assemble the gratin by layering the ingredients in this order: a single, slightly overlapping layer of one-third of the potato slices, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, one-third of the Gruyère, half the Swiss chard and one-third of the reduced cream. Repeat once, and then top with one more layer of potato, salt and pepper, and the rest of the Gruyère and cream.
• Bake until the top is browned and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 45 minutes.

CHEESY CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Strip the chard leaves from the stalks, then cut the stalks into sticks. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the stalks for 3-4 mins until starting to soften. Then throw in the leaves for a few moments too so that they just wilt. Drain well.
• Mix the cream with the mustard, then toss through the chard with most of the gruyère. Grease a medium gratin dish, spread the chard mix over, then scatter with the remaining gruyère and the parmesan. Bake for 30 mins until bubbling and golden. Serve straight from the dish.

SWISS CHARD AND RED PEPPER GRATIN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you clean the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. Strip the leaves from the stalks, but hold onto the stalks. Wash the leaves in several rinses of water. When the water comes to a boil add the chard leaves. Blanch for about 1 minute, just until tender. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer immediately to the ice water. Let sit for a few minutes, then drain, squeeze out water and chop medium-fine.
• Preheat the oven to 375º F. Brush a 2-quart baking or gratin dish with olive oil.
• Trim both ends off the chard stalks, then dice. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chard stalks, diced red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the garlic, stir together for a minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant, and stir in the chard. Stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, just to blend the mixture and coat the chard with oil. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
• Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Stir in the chard mixture, the cheese, rice and thyme. Stir together, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle on the remaining oil.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until firm and browned on the top. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole or gratin dish with cooking spray. Rinse Swiss chard; shake to remove excess moisture and pat dry. Cut leaves from stalks; finely chop stalks and leaves and keep separate.
• In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese and melted butter; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, heat cream and garlic to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in chopped chard stalks; cook 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chopped chard leaves, salt and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until wilted. Drain well, pressing with back of spoon. Spread mixture in casserole.
• Strain cream, discarding garlic. Pour cream over chard. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden brown.

SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°.
• Coat the interior of a 1 1/2-quart gratin or baking dish with the softened butter and spoon in the 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs; tilt the dish around until they cover the buttered surface.
• Slice the chard stems and leaves into 1 1/2-inch pieces; wash in cold water; drain but don't dry them.
• Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat; add the shallot and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute; add the chard, sprinkle with salt; cover tightly and steam until the chard has wilted to half its original volume, about 2-3 minutes; uncover and cook the chard, turning occasionally with tongs, until all the water in the pan evaporates, about 5 more minutes; season with pepper and set aside.
• Sauce - melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; whisk in the flour; cook, whisking, until mixture bubbles up and turns lighter in color, about 1 minute; pour in the cold milk all at once; whisk vigorously; add salt and bay leaf; heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes; reduce the heat to low, simmer 2 minutes; stir in the nutmeg, oregano, thyme and 1/2 cup of the cheese; remove from heat and discard bay leaf.
• Mix the cooked chard and the sauce; spoon into prepared pan; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup cheese; bake until golden and bubbly, 35 minutes.