Pickled Swiss Chard

Pickled Swiss Chard

I like Swiss Chard.  It grows really well in my garden, has a mild flavor as greens go, and can be substituted for spinach, kale, and other hearty greens in soups, stews, frittatas...you name it.  Plus, it has a long growing season.  In fact, we've had a frost or two and it's still chugging away in my garden like it's nobody's business.

Unfortunately, this year we ended-up with too much.  I planted about 8 plants plus we joined a CSA, so I was receiving bunches of it from the farm each week.  We've also had a busy summer where I wasn't home cooking as much, so I really couldn't keep up with it.  I had to find a way to preserve it.

When it comes to greens, the easiest and most common way to preserve them is to blanch them in boiling water, drain, then freeze.  However, I find they get mushy and lose the fresh flavor that I love, so I was looking for something a little different.  I considered pressure canning them, but I figured that'd have much the same problem, plus they'd get kind of gray-ish.  Then, a thought hit me.

In my family, we've always eaten brassicas and greens (broccoli, spinach, cabbage, etc.) with a dash of vinegar.  I don't know where it started, but my Dad always did it and so I picked-up the habit.  It's a great way to give them a little pick-me-up flavor without drowning them in sauce or seasoning.  So why not pickle my chard?

I tried a single jar and it came out awesome.  So here's the recipe for you today.

 

Pickled Swiss Chard

For the Brine:
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups water
1-2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

1 teaspoon of pickling salt per jar
As much Swiss Chard as you like

1. Wash chard leaves thoroughly.  Strip the rib out of the center and chop it into half-inch pieces.  Chop the chard into 1 to 2 inch squares.
2.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Working in batches, blanch the chard and stems in the water until the greens wilt slightly.  Remove into a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking and set the color.
3. Prepare brine by bringing ingredients to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved and liquid is hot.
4. Pack washed pint jars with 1 teaspoon of salt each and blanched chard, packing it full but not so tightly that it is compacted.  Leave 1 inch of head space.
5. Pour brine over chard in jars leaving 1 inch of head space.  De-bubble as necessary.  Make additional batches of brine as needed to fill jars.
6. Place lids and rings on jars.  Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Pickled Swiss Chard (in a Purple Jar)

Why is it Safe?
A 50/50 vinegar/water brine recipe is typical for most vegetable pickles and according to the NCHFP, sugar and spices can be modified at will in a pickle recipe (sugar is not acting as a preservative).  This particular recipe was adapted from the Food In Jars recipe for Garlic Dill Pickles with additional review of similar recipes.  A processing time of 10 minutes was chosen instead of 5 minutes to err on the side of caution against the chard being packed too compactly and making a denser product than cucumber pickles.

Butternut Squash and Feta Galette

Galette with roasted butternut squash, onions, pickled chard, and feta cheese.

While scrolling through my social media feed yesterday, I passed recipe from The Splendid Table for a Butternut Squash Galette and it reminded me of my love for open-faced savory tarts as a quick weeknight meal.  Since I had a piece of butternut sitting in the fridge, I knew exactly what I was going to make for dinner that night.

Galettes might sound fancy (it's a French word), but they're really just quick and dirty open-faced pies.  If you can make or buy a pie crust, you can churn one out in minutes and it's a delicious satisfying meal.

There's no real recipe.  I like to use whatever I have on-hand.  In the summer, I like to use tomatoes or grilled veggies from the garden.  Around the holidays, I've been known to make a mushroom version for a meaty-flavored but light appetizer.  Here's the basic process:

1. Purchase or make your favorite pie dough recipe for a single-crust pie.  Roll or lay-out the dough round on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise, sour cream, thick yogurt, or soft cheese across the dough round, leaving about an inch around the edges uncovered.
3. Add a very thin layer of roasted or sauteed vegetables or bits of meat.  Tomatoes can be put on fresh if they're sliced very thinly or diced.  Don't put too much or the crust won't be able to hold the weight and keep moisture to a minimum.  This is a thin pie, not a pizza.
4. Drop bits of goat cheese, feta cheese, shredded cheese, or even a heavy sprinkle of Parmesan over the top of the filling.  Again, this is not a pizza.  You're not trying to make a river of melted cheese on top.  Less is more.
5. Turn the one-inch of dough around the edges up and over the edges of the filling, crinkling it rustically where it seems to want to.  Press down lightly so it stays in place.
6. Brush the edges with an egg wash (an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) and optionally sprinkle on some grated cheese or salt, pepper, or herbs.
7. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted or softened slightly.
8. Cool slightly and slice into pie-shaped wedges.  This is excellent served with a simple green salad.  It can also be served at room temperature as an appetizer.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Last month, I posted about a silky, creamy tomato bisque that I made for my birthday.  Truth be told, I've never really been a fan of thin almost drinkable soups.  For me, soups had to have some substance or chunks to make it a hearty meal.  But my views changed after that bisque and I started to envision other beautiful puree'd soups.

Fast-forward to this weekend when Asparagus was a good price at Whole Foods.  I picked-up about 2 pounds, thinking maybe I'll roast half and turn the other half into a creamy, velvety soup.  When I placed the milk delivery order this week (we have old-fashioned glass bottle milk delivery service), I tacked-on a pint of half & half and planned to make the soup tonight for dinner.  It was delicious!  And we finished the whole pot between my wife and I.

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did.

Creamy Asparagus Soup
Makes 4-6 Meal-Sized Servings

Note: The step of putting it through a fine-mesh strainer is frankly a bit of a pain and totally optional.  However, it does make the difference between a velvety soup and one that's a little gritty--especially with asparagus.  And don't skip the butter.  It gives it a little something extra in texture and flavor that you don't directly notice but it's obvious something is missing when it's gone.

2 pounds thin asparagus
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup white wine
water or chicken stock, heated to a simmer
3/4 cup of half & half or heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Wash the asparagus and trim off the woody ends.  If all you can find is thick asparagus, consider peeling the bottom third of each stalk with a vegetable peeler to make straining the soup easier.  Slice into thin rounds.
2. In a large pot, saute the asparagus and onion in olive oil with a heavy pinch of salt until it begins to soften.  Add the garlic and cook a moment until the garlic softens.
3. Add the white wine and simmer a minute or two until the harsh alcohol smell goes away.
4. Add enough water or stock to cover the vegetables completely.  Bring to a low boil and cook until all the vegetables are completely soft.
5. Remove the pan from the heat.  Using an immersion blender or a jar blender, puree the soup until it's as smooth as you can get it.
6. Working in batches, pour the soup into a fine-mesh sieve.  Using the back of a ladle or large spoon, press the soup through the sieve until only a little bit of fibrous material remains.  Scrape the bottom of the sieve to make sure all the pulp that passed through ends-up in the bowl.
7. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Stir-in cream and butter until it is well incorporated.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.  If the soup is too too thin and watery, simmer a bit until it thickens.

We like to serve this soup in a shallow bowl with cheesy toast, croutons, or soup crackers, and a dollop of sour cream in the center.  A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese never hurt, either.

Baked Beans...Finally!

I have a confession to make.  I can turn-out a Thanksgiving feast for 30 people, bake complex desserts and even dabble in candy-making with great success.  However, I can't for the life of me cook dried beans.

That's right.  Those little suckers, cheaper than chips at a little over a buck a pound and more nutritious than just about anything, stump me every...darned...time.  I've read most of what there is to read on the subject and no matter what I do, they either explode into mush or turn out crunchy in the center after cooking all day long.  Salt, don't salt.  Add a pinch of baking soda.  Pre-soak, or toss them in dry.  Pressure cooker, slow cooker, stove-top.  Doesn't matter...I miss the boat every time.

This is a tragedy, really, because I love me a big 'ole pot of Boston-style baked beans with a summer picnic and opening a can of Bush's or B&M just doesn't satisfy me.  However, I'm pleased to announce that I've finally cracked the code.  This recipe has proven to work for me three times now as I fine-tuned the flavors and I'm happy enough to publish it.

So without further ado...

Boston-Style Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker

1lb dried beans (see head note)
3 cups water
1/4 cup real maple syrup
3 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup Bottled BBQ Sauce
1/2 onion, sliced (about 1 cup)

Choosing Beans - My family has traditionally made these with Navy beans, a small white bean.  Sometimes, they're labeled "small white beans".  However, I've also used pink/light-brown pinto beans and canellini beans with great success.  If you like a larger bean, go with it.  You can even mix them.

The Secret - The secret to perfect baked beans for me turned out to be the "quick soak" method described below.  For some reason I can't explain, an overnight soak just doesn't work for me.  Perhaps it's my water or perhaps I'm not using enough water.  I also have had better luck with beans from the Whole Foods bulk bin than supermarket bagged beans.  I suspect it has to do with the age of the beans.  For whatever reason, the quick soak method levels the playing field and it comes out great.

[EDIT: Since developing this recipe, I've had the quick soak fail on me several times and I've ended-up with gritty beans.  I'm still not exactly sure why, but I suspect our well water's pH might just be too high and depending on where you source your beans, they can be stale or extra-dry.  I now recommend cooking the beans at a simmer on the stove until just tender before putting-together the rest of the recipe in the slow cooker.  I realize that's a little more hands-on than I originally intended, but until I find a better method, that's how we'll keep this.]

1) Sort through the beans, picking-out any rocks, sticks, or any bean that doesn't look good.  Place into a saucepan with enough water to cover by 1-2 inches.

2) Bring beans to a boil.  Boil exactly 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.  This is called the "quick soak" method.

3) Drain and rinse the beans.  Add them to your slow cooker.

4) Add the remaining ingredients except for the water to the slow cooker.

5) Add enough water so that it stands 1 to 2 inches above the the beans.

6) Cook covered on low 8 to 12 hours.  Beans should be tender and should have absorbed most of the water, leaving the remaining liquid syrupy.  If all water disappears during cooking, add water a cup at a time.

Note: This can be done on high instead of low heat, though in my experience the results aren't the same.  It will likely still take at least 6+ hours to cook and the beans are more likely to split.  Also, the sauce won't get quite as syrupy as if you'd done them on low.