Sides
Swiss Chard Two Ways
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 29th, 2010
My co-worker has been generous enough to share some of the harvest from a farm co-op she belongs to. On my desk this morning was a bag of purple cabbage, lettuce, mariachi peppers, and Swiss chard. I am immediately picturing a light salad with the cabbage and lettuce and then using blanched Swiss chard leaves to roll up ground beef & the mariachi peppers.
In case you don’t know much about Swiss chard, here is the information from the farms website:
Chard is harvested as a green, leafy vegetable. Chard is in the spinach family but contains no oxalic acid which makes it easier for us to absorb the nutrients from the chard. These greens are high in vitamins A, E, & C and the minerals iron & calcium.
Cooking Tips
- If leaves are large & mature, remove the stem to cook separately.
- If the greens are young, cook whole.
- Use in place of spinach in most recipes.
- Sauté the leaves in garlic butter or olive oil & garlic.
- Steam large stem pieces for 8-10 min. & leaves for 4-6 min.
- Raw baby leaves are great in green salads.
- Toss steamed leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. OR with sesame oil, rice vinegar or soy sauce.
Let’s try these Italian inspired stuffed/rolled Swiss chard leaves
INGREDIENTS
- 2 TBLS Canola Oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice/brown rice
- 1 Red/Green bell pepper (I am using mariachi pepper, which is hotter), diced small
- 1 cup prepared tomato sauce (homemade – take can of plum tomatoes, blend in blender, then cook on stove top to reduce by a 1/4)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In medium frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced peppers. Cook 3-4 mins until pepper softens. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl, add ground beef , cooked rice, salt, and 2 TBLS of the tomato sauce. Mix well.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Take about 4-5 Swiss chard leaves at a time and blanch in boiling water for a minute and then transfer to ice bath. Remove from ice bath and pat dry with paper towels.
Spread 3-4 TBLS of Tomato Sauce onto bottom of Pyrex dish (enough to have a thin layer of sauce on the bottom)
Lay out leaves, smooth side down and place 3-4 TBLS of beef mixture on largest end of leaf. Roll towards the smaller end, until completely rolled up. Place seam side down in Pyrex baking dish. Continue with the rest of the leaves. Drizzle the remaining sauce over each roll.
Place seam side down in Pyrex baking dish. Continue with the rest of the leaves. Drizzle the remaining sauce over each roll.
Bake in oven 35-40 mins. Enjoy
So there was extra Swiss chard because some of the leaves weren’t big enough to make into rolls. So I removed the stems from the leaves and roughly chopped them.
Braised Swiss Chard w/ Feta & Craisins
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 bunch of Swiss chard
- 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup of diced feta
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 TBLS Canola Oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté. Place stems into pan first, 3-5 mins to soften them up. Then add leaves
Cook for 5 mins until wilted and then remove from heat. Add 1/2 tsp salt and make sure to taste it because chard can be quite bitter. Stir in feta and craisins.
Serve as a side dish or as a snack.
Strawberry pecan spinach salad
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 6th, 2010
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. I certainly did. Sitting by the pool all weekend with friends and family, doesn’t get better than that. We were not shy with the food either. There was enough food to feed twice as many people as we had, so of course, we just had to invite more people over the next day to continue eating. This is one of my favorite times of year because seasonal fruits and veggies make their way onto my plate. Strawberry season is typically June-August for locally grown. Even though you can basically get anything you want year-round now, lets pretend that strawberries must be eaten ASAP.
This recipe was provided to me by one of our closest family friends, Terry. She always seems to come across some great recipes, and this is certainly one of them. Thanks Terry and keep all the recipes coming, we will certainly keep eating them.
Ingredients
- (2) 10oz bags of baby spinach
- (2) pints of fresh strawberries
- 6 oz sliced toasted pecans
Dressing
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 TBLS poppy seeds
- 2 TBLS sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp minced onion
- 1 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or tarragon vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Wash and dry spinach or use pre washed. Place in large bowl.
Wash, dry and slice strawberries. Add them to the spinach.
Slice pecans and lightly toast in oven for a few minutes.
Put ingredients for dressing into a blender and mix 20-30 seconds. Add dressing to salad right before serving.
Mix well and enjoy. Thanks Terry 
Steamed Mussels & Pommes Frites
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on June 30th, 2010
I would never would have thought that people eat Mussels with French Fries, but it is a delicious combination. This is common on French & Belgian bistro menu’s. This dish pairs perfectly with a nice light white wine or a crisp Belgian beer. I plan on serving this with some Hoegaarden or Leffe, depending on what I can pick up. I just had fresh mussel’s this past weekend on Montauk, NY and now I am craving them again. They are one of the easiest things to make, they basically have a built in timer…once they open, they’re done.
I would urge you to make sure you get them from a trusted fish source, you want to make sure these little guys are alive.
Ingredients
STEAMED MUSSELS w/ PROSCUITTO (serves 4-6)
- 1 large fennel bulb with fronds, base trimmed, bulb & fronds roughly chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- Few Sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 4 lbs mussels, debearded and scrubbed
- 4 TBSP butter
- 1 small shallot, peeled and chopped
- 3oz prosciutto, large diced
- Crusty French Bread
POMMES FRITES
- 6 Russet Potatoes
- 3-4 qts Corn Oil / Peanut Oil (depending on what you’re frying them in)
- Salt
- Old Bay
FOR THE MUSSELS
Put fennel, three-quarters of the onions, one-third of the garlic, lemon, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, wine, and 4 cups water into a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and boil over high heat for 2–3 minutes. Add mussels, cover pot, and give pot a good shake to mix mussels and the aromatics together. Steam mussels, giving pot a good shake occasionally, until shells just open, about 10 minutes. Discard any shells that don’t open.
Strain mussels through a colander set over a large bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the strained broth, then serve remaining broth, if you like, in cups, adjusting seasonings with a little salt, or save broth for another use. Cover mussels with a clean dishcloth to keep them warm.
Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Add remaining onions and garlic, shallots, and prosciutto and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Discard aromatics from pile of mussels in colander, then add mussels to pot. Add reserved 1⁄2 cup broth, cover pot, and shake several times to mix mussels and ham mixture together. Heat mussels over medium heat until warmed through
Cut bread in half, drizzle with olive oil and throw on the grill or place under the broiler to crisp up. Cut up into strips to serve with the Mussels
Place the bread at the bottom of the bowl or off to the side and scoop the mussels on top of it, making sure to spoon some of the broth into the bowl as well.
FOR THE POMMES FRITES
Wash & scrub the potatoes. You can peel them or choose to leave the skin on them for a rustic look. Cut them into batons that are about the length and width of your index finger. I used a potato cuter that I had recently purchased. It ended up being very cheap and it was not worth the $20.00 I spent on it. I plan on upgrading to a commercial grade potato cutter
Preheat a deep pot of oil to 325 degrees F.
For the first fry, deep fry potatoes in the oil for 5 to 6 minutes, or until a light golden color. Do not over load fryer. Fry in 3 batches if necessary. Remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon, and allow them to cool to room temperature.
Raise the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees F.
For the second fry, deep-fry the potatoes for 2 minutes, or until crispy. Remove potatoes, and transfer into a colander or bowl. While still hot, salt the potatoes & sprinkle with old bay
Serve along side the mussels and a nice glass of white wine or a beer
Mussels recipe- courtesy of Saveur.com
Pommes Frites recipe- courtesy of Pommes Frites in New York, NY
corn souffle
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on May 6th, 2010
When I hear the word “soufflé,” I think of chocolate and the French. Here we are bringing the French word down South, This is similar to cornbread, but moist, fluffy and full of corn. I wouldn’t skip the gym the day you’re going to eat this because it’s got Paula Deen written all over it. I don’t know where this recipe originated from, but it’s very similar to Paula Deen’s on the Food Network. If you’ve ever watched her show, she loves her some butter. Regardless of where this recipe came from, I received it from a family friend and have been making it every Thanksgiving since. I decided that I couldn’t wait till November for this, and it should be eaten year round.
It’s a delicious side for BBQ this summer, so try it out and add it to your menu.
Ingredients
- 1 (8oz) box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick melted butter
- 1 can of corn (drained)
- 1 can of cream of corn
- 8oz sour cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
Spray a corning-ware or pyrex dish with Pam cooking spray and pour the mixture into the dish. Smooth over with the fork, so its even on the top.
Place in oven for 40-50 mins, just until the top starts to brown.
Enjoy, you may want to double the recipe for large groups because this always seems to be the first thing to go when I make it.