Warm Swiss Chard And Mushroom Salad Recipes

FALL COUSCOUS WITH SWISS CHARD, RAISINS AND WARM SPICES

Steps:

• Toast the allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over a medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Pour the seasoned stock over the couscous and add the raisins. Gently stir to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit until the stock is absorbed and the couscous is fluffy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat and cook the onions until translucent, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and caramelized, 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and continue to cook until it is fully wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Toss the Swiss chard mixture into the couscous along with about half of the parsley, then stir. Top with the remaining parsley and serve warm.

SAUTEED SWISS CHARD WITH MUSHROOMS AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until onion is translucent and mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard, red pepper, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. Cook until Swiss chard is wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in white wine; cook until Swiss chard is tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.

SWISS CHARD, MUSHROOM, AND QUINOA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook Swiss chard, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Add red-pepper flakes, and toss. Transfer to a platter.
• Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the garlic to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is slightly golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in quinoa; cook to heat through, about 1 minute. Add thyme. Serve mushroom-quinoa mixture over Swiss chard, topped with Parmesan.

SKILLET MUSHROOMS AND CHARD WITH BARLEY OR BROWN RICE

Steps:

• Combine the barley or rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat and simmer the barley for 1 hour, brown rice for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the grains. Retain the cooking water.
• While the grains are cooking, stem the chard and wash thoroughly in two changes of water. Chop coarsely. If the stalks are merely thick, dice them; if they are stringy, discard them.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, wide skillet or wok. Add the mushrooms and chard stems, if using, and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms sear and begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chard and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the chard wilts, which shouldn't take more than 3 minutes (you may have to add the chard in batches, depending on the size of your pan). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Once the chard has wilted, add .75 cup of the cooking water from the rice or barley. Cover and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes, or until the chard is tender. Uncover, stir and if you wish to have more sauce with the vegetables, add more cooking water from the grains and stir until it reduces to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle on the remaining oil and serve with the grains.

CREAMY GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
• When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half's seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
• In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
• To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.