Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, serves 4-6 (entree) or 8-10 (side dish)
Date made: 3/12/2012


1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, diced
2 lbs Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated, cut into 1-inch pieces*
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whole milk*
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tablespoons flour
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds*
1/2 Tbsp. dried Italian parsley
1/2 Tbsp. dried ground thyme
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish. 

Saute onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat, stirring until softened. Add chard stems, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes
Increase heat to medium-high and add chard leaves.  Cook, while stirring, until all greens are wilted.

Combine cream or milk and garlic powder in small saucepan.
Bring to simmer and keep warm.
Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in flour, and whisk for one minute.  Slowly whisk in warm cream/milk and boil while whisking for one minute.  Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Spread half of sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese.
Repeat with half of the greens mixture, and sprinkle salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese over it.
Pour half of the sauce over the first two layers then continue with the remaining sweet potatoes, more salt, pepper, herbs and cheese and then the remaining greens, salt, pepper and herbs.
Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the gratin, and sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and then bake for another 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Broil for about 5 minutes to give the surface a golden color (optional), and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I had sweet potatoes and swiss chard left from last week's Hollygrove box, so I gave Jason a list of 3 or 4 recipes to choose from to use the ingredients.  Luckily, we had all the ingredients for the one that he picked!  Taking advantage of what we had in our refrigerator, for the sauce I used 1 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup buttermilk (leftover from all the baking I've done the last couple weeks!).

I found that this recipe was a little labor intensive, like a lasagna, but it turned out super tasty.  Jason doesn't really like the sweetness of sweet potatoes, I think that the herbs and seasonings helped cancel that out since it was no sweeter than baked or roasted carrots.  I served it over some local brown rice to eat as an entree.

Stuffed Eggplant

Adapted from Simply in Season, serves 2-4
Date made: 6/19/2011

1 large eggplant*
1 small onion, chopped
1 c canned corn, drained
10 oz can Rotel
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Split eggplant lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and discard.  Carefully, cut aware and reserve flesh to form 2 shells, each 1/2-in thick.
Cook onion in frypan until softened.
Add corn, Rotel, chopped eggplant flesh, garlic, and spices.  Turn heat to high and boil, stirring often, until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Add bread crumbs and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Place eggplant shells in baking dish and fill with vegetable mixture.
Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes.
Sprinkly remaining Parmesan cheese on filled eggplant halves.  Return to the oven and bake until cheese begins to brown, 12-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Great Green Vegetable Pasta

Adapted from Simply in Season, serves 4
Date made: 5/2/2011

1 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c milk*
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz penne pasta
2 1/2 c broccoli florets*
1 1/2 c zucchini, sliced*
3/4 c green beans*
1/2 c peas*
1/4 c green onions*

Stir together ricotta cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, and salt and set aside.
In large soup pot of boiling water, start cooking pasta according to package directions.
Stir in broccoli 6 minutes before pasta is done.  Boil 3 minutes, and stir in zucchini and green beans.  Boil 2 minutes, and stir in peas and green onions.
Boil 1 minute, remove from heat.  Drain well, and return to soup pot.
Add ricotta cheese mixture to pasta and vegetables, and mix well.

Turnip Sweet Potato Gratin

Adapted from The Chubby Vegetarian, serves 2
Date made: 4/17/2011

3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced*

5 small turnips, peeled and thinly sliced*

2 oz Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/4 c milk*

1 tsp dried thyme

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9-in loaf pan and start layering vegetables, alternating sweet potatoes and turnips between layers.

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in every other layer.

Blend remaining ingredients in food processor until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over root vegetables. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Uncover, drizzle with olive oil, and bake a 15 minutes longer.

Beet Green Gratin

Adapted from Food Network, serves 6-8
Date made: 4/4/2011

1 Tbsp butter
8 oz shiitake mushrooms*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb beet greens, cleaned and picked*
4 egg yolks, beaten*
1 c ricotta
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
3/4 crumbled crackers
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and garlic and sweat.  Add beet greens and mix well.
Remove pan from heat and season with salt and pepper.
In separate bowl, combine egg yolks, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 tsp of salt.  Combine everything and transfer to a lightly oiled 8x8 baking dish.
Top with crumbled crackers, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.


YAY!  Hollygrove gave us eggs in our box this week!  I love how I can find recipes that somehow incorporate my Hollygrove produce.  I only wish that I could be this imaginative.

So I'm still not 100% sold on beets/beet greens.  However, I found it to be tasty enough, though the egg kind of threw me off a little bit.  Though my best friend came into town and said she thought it was pretty good, so I guess that's enough for me!