Week 3, July 2011

Hello again
Week three is here and so is the hot weather! Things are coming along very well for the most part, and your bags this week reflect the somewhat odd timing that we have this year. It's not typical to be giving out peppers with peas!
But there are plenty of tasty meals to be made with the veggies for this week:
Salad mix
Swiss Chard (think "quiche" !)
Lucky Moon Garlic
Snow Peas
Hungarian Hotwax Pepper (milder than a jalapeno)
raspberries

While I was helping to pack up the garlic, snow peas and pepper, I couldn't help but think what a tasty stir-fry that would make. And that made me hungry, so I made one myself that night with a few things I had on hand.

Besides a quiche, here's another interesting idea for using the Swiss Chard. The recipe calls for Ruby Chard, which is simply a kind of Chard with red stems and veining. The bag you have is a mix of Ruby Chard, Bright Lights Chard (rainbow colors) and some green and white veined chard. But it all works the same.

This is another recipe from the Moosewood's "Cooking for Health"
Pasta w/ Ruby Chard and Cherries
1/2 C dried cherries
16 oz chunky-shaped whole grain pasta
1 Bunch Ruby Chard
1/4 C olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional for added spicyness)
1/4 C chopped toasted walnuts
grated parmesan or crumbled ricotta salata cheese (optional)

1) Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil. When the water comes to a rapid boil, ladle a few tablespoons of it into a bowl, add the dried cherries and set aside to soak. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.

2)While the water is heating, rinse the chard and remove the bottom 1/2 inch or so of the stems. Cut any of the large ones in half again (to make them thinner). Chop the leaves. Set aside.

3)While the pasta cooks, warm the oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add the chard stems a saute for a minute. Add the garlic and chard leaves and cook uncovered, stirring often, until the chard is limp but the leaves are still bright green, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and a sprinkling of pepper and add the red pepper flakes, if you wish.

4) Toast the walnuts

5) Drain the soaked cherries.

6) Put the pasta into a serving bowl and top with the garlicky chard, plump hot cherries and toasted walnuts. Offer cheese at the table if you like.

Bon appetite!