Loving The Rainbow Chard

One of my intentions with this year’s garden was to explore greens that I was unfamiliar with.  I tend to shy away from greens other than spinach in general, which is a shame, since I would probably love most of them.  The first green to emerge victorious also happens to be pretty, and that is my rainbow chard.  I initially planted it simply because Zander saw the photo in the catalog and was excited about the prospect of colored celery.  Yet, while we’ve been harvesting spinach left and right for salads, I’ve also been harvesting a few baby chard leaves, and we’ve all been enjoying them as salad greens.  A few of the clusters have started getting a little large though, so I wanted to do something more them- really explore them as a green.

When I saw the title of this recipe the other day on the CLBB, I knew I wanted to make it as soon as possible.  Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Dried Cherries, Chard and Walnuts sounded right up my alley. I needed two ingredients- the whole wheat spaghetti and the dried cherries.  All day yesterday I’d planned a drive into town to do a little shopping, but it was just such a nice day that before we knew it, it was nearing the dinner hour and I was still missing ingredients necessary to make my pasta.  We took a walk to the local grocery store, and my dinner’s fate lied in the hands of our small town grocer…would they have the dried cherries?  If they didn’t have the cherries could I substitute dried cranberries to good effect? Or should I save the dish for another day.  Would they have the whole wheat spaghetti?  I knew they carried some Dreamfields products, but whole wheat?  My concerns were soon put to rest as I found a small package of tart dried cherries on the top shelf near the raisins, a nice box of Hodgson Mill whole wheat spaghetti also found its way into our basket, and dinner was back on schedule.

This dish came together fast.  It probably took me longer to pick the chard than it took me to cook the entire meal.  I also added a few handfuls of spinach, just because I could.  I set the water to boiling for the pasta, and before the pasta itself was done, the “sauce” was done.  It was simple, I browned garlic and chard stems in olive oil, then tossed in the chard and spinach leaves to wilt, and then finally added the dried cherries and walnuts.  This was tossed with the pasta and a small ladle-full of pasta water, and I had a perfect dinner.  I loved the chard in particular, but the whole dish was very satisfying and delicious.  Had I made this when Andy was home, I suspect he would have needed a chicken breast or some pork cutlets to fully satisfy his manly appetite, but for myself, it was perfect just as it is.  My one change to the recipe was to utilize the chard stems.  Since my chard was young and tender and just a few minutes out of the garden, I wasn’t about to waste a bite.  Instead, I chopped up the stems and added them in with the garlic to saute.  It worked beautifully, and I would do it the same again in a second.

The rainbow chard is a hit, and is already a must plant again. In fact, I plan to plant it continuously as long as I can, because I’m really enjoying it, and I know the nutrient boost I’m getting from it is fantastic! To find out more of what’s coming up in my garden- be sure and check out the Garden Notes with yesterday’s update.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Dried Cherries, Chard, and Walnuts

from A Year In A Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop
Serving Size  : 4

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves — minced
1 1/2 pounds chard — stems and thick center ribs discarded, leaves washed, shaken to remove excess water, and chopped (about 10 cups)**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
1pound whole wheat spaghetti

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta.

Place the walnuts in a large deep saute pan or Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium and toast, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the nuts, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a small plate.

Add oil and garlic to the empty pan and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. (Do not let the garlic burn.) Add the damp chard, stir to coat the leaves with the oil and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the chard has wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cherries, remove the pan from the heat, and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Toss the pasta, chard, and toasted walnuts together, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta. Serve immediately.

**Note: I used tender, young chard and instead of discarding the stems, I chopped them up and added them to the pan with the garlic.  I would do this again in a second.