Shallot Smashed Potatoes with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

So it's not too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving. It's easy to feel sorry for a vegetarian on Thanksgiving (or think we're a bit mad), when you think about a Thanksgiving without gravy. This mushroom gravy makes a pleasant alternative. My omnivore husband requests this gravy, and I've been asked to bring it to holiday parties.

Both these recipes come from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I've modified the mashed potato recipe a bit, because it's what I had on hand, but truthfully, the original is better. (Note: I've labeled this recipe as vegan. The gravy is, the potatoes are absolutely not)

While making this I was listening to: Decemberists, Picaresque

Shallot Smashed Potatoes (serves 6)

• 4 C Yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks, skins on
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 C minced shallots
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes, 1 tsp of salt, and enough water to just cover the potatoes, in a heavy pot. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with fork. 
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the shallots, and saute on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until soft. 
3. Once the shallots are soft, add the salt, pepper and cream to the shallots and keep warm on low heat. 
4. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and return to the pot. Gradually add the shallot-cream mixture and mash, leaving some chunks into the potatoes. Add additional cream, salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately. 

Mushroom Gravy (makes 3-4 C)

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 C diced onions
• 4 C sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 C dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 3/4 C vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 C cold water
• salt 

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until they've begun to soften, stirring often. 
2. Add the mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Increase heat, and deglaze pan with the sherry. In a separate saucepan, add soy sauce and stock, and add the contents from the mushroom pan. Cover the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pepper, and dissolved cornstarch and stir constantly until thickened and evenly blended. Remove from heat and serve immediately. 


Kitchen Notes: For the potatoes: The original recipe calls for twice as much shallots as I've used, and I recommend using the additional shallots. The original also calls for milk, and more butter. I reduced the amount of butter and substituted heavy cream for the milk, since I didn't have any milk. This substitution was indistinguishable from the original. I'd also like to try substituting leeks for the shallots. For the mushrooms: Feel free to experiment with the seasonings. I've used several different kinds of mushrooms, none better than the other, just different. This time I used oyster. I just wouldn't use plain old white mushrooms. Don't be concerned about the amount of soy sauce in here, it doesn't overwhelm.

Verdict? So, I went 10+ Thanksgivings with dry potatoes. No gravy, just potatoes. With that in mind, I'm very biased with regards to how much I love this gravy. These potatoes are some of the best mashed potatoes I've had, the shallot butter makes them blissful.

Spicy Arugula & Cantaloupe Salad with Chili-Lime Pistachios

I have the hardest time remembering how to spell A-R-U-G-A-L-A and C-A-N-T-A-L-O-U-P-E. I've decided that I'm going to start posting what I listened to whilst making a dish. Not because you're particularly interested in what I'm listening to, but because my dear husband put up some new speakers in the kitchen to keep me entertained while cooking (as if cooking weren't entertaining enough!)

What I listened to: Carla Bruni, first lady of France and new momma.

This cool, very unusual recipe is adapted from my dear favorite, Moosewood New Classics. It originally features endive, not arugula, and comes with an embarrassing story. I made this last weekend with a cantaloupe. That I bought a month ago. Here it is:

 I had purchased this at the farmer's market 1 month prior and stored it in my fridge. It still tasted perfect. Makes me wonder how old the melons are in some supermarkets!

The chili-lime pistachios are a holdover from trying to recreate my favorite cheap restaurant snack, the 95-cent chili-lime peanuts from Destihl. I was disappointed with my attempt, and they hung out in my kitchen for a bit, but they made an ideal garnish for this salad.

Spicy Arugula & Cantaloupe Salad with Chili-Lime Pistachios (serves 4)

• 3 C arugula, loosely packed
• 1 small cantaloupe, cut into chunks
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 3 tsp coriander, ground
• salt & black pepper to taste
• chili-lime pistachios (see below)

1. Toss together the arugula, cantaloupe, and cilantro. Set aside. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, cayenne, coriander, salt and black pepper. 
3. Pour half the dressing on the salad and toss well. Sprinkle with chili-lime pistachios and serve immediately. 


For chili-lime pistachios (makes 1 C)

• 1 C raw pistachios
• juice of 1 lime
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
• oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the pistachios as a single layer.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, chili powder & cumin. Smear over the pistachios, until coated.
3. Bake for 7 mins, watching carefully. These burn quickly!

 Kitchen Notes: I was skeptical of the amount of coriander in this recipe, but it works. I recommend only pouring on half the dressing, since a little goes a long way, and the salad is still tasty, dressed, the next day. The arugula does wilt some, but I tolerate wilted arugula far better than most greens. I think the arugula is a better choice than the endive, but this is opinion. This salad would be fantastic if the cantaloupe were replaced with mango, and I cautiously think nectarines or peaches would work great too.

Verdict? This recipe is a bit wacky, but it brings cantaloupe into the category of a salad fruit, much like a strawberry, apple or blueberry. Chili and cantaloupe complement each other well, the sour or the vinegar/citrus, sweetness of the melon, zest of arugula, and spice of the chili, along with the crunch of the salad, works to create a terrific summer salad. I wish I had made this earlier in the season!

Chipotle Roasted Veggie Omelet

In the continued quest for Things that Would Be Delicious with Chipotle Sour Cream, indexed in recipe, Smoky Lentil Soup, we revisited Baked Goat Cheese Quesadillas, which took to the flavored sour cream well. This time for veggies we used: (1) red pepper, (1) zucchini, (1) green bell pepper, (1) poblano pepper, (3) very tiny Yukon gold potatoes, (1/2) red onion, (1/2) yellow onion, seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, Goya Adobo seasoning, and McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. We used the leftover veggies to make a kick-butt omelet.

  A beautiful, warm, October day...Great for eating on the porch, but not for taking photos!

I must give credit where credit is due. This idea to throw our leftovers in an omelet comes from my husband. Problem is, I didn't really know how to make an omelet. Sad, no? So, it was Google, You Tube, and Jacques Pepin to the rescue:

I selected the country style omelet. I haven't quite developed a taste for the class French omelet. The video is worth a watch, even if you have graduated from the French Culinary Institute, just because his accent is so charming. I recommend that you follow his directions, rather than my paraphrased ones, the result will most likely be far better.

Roasted Vegetable Omelet (serves 2)

• 1 C roasted vegetables ( from baked goat cheese quesadillas, following the recipe below, or based on your own  whims)
• 1 chipotle pepper & adobo sauce, chopped
• 4 eggs
• salt & pepper
• butter 

1. Combine the chipotle pepper with the vegetables and set aside.
2. Place 2 tsps of butter in an omelet or (gasp!) fry pan and begin to heat. Meanwhile, crack open the eggs and place in a bowl, whisk vigorously with a fork until the albumin begins to break down. Add salt & pepper to the eggs and continue to mix. 
3. When the butter has begun to brown, add 1/2 the eggs. Very lightly stir with a fork or chopstick (I drew lines across the pan, like cutting a pizza).  Cook for about a minute, or just to your level of doneness.
4. Add 1/2 C veggies on half of the egg mixture, then fold the other half of the egg over the mixture. 
5. Invert the omelet onto a plate (really, you need to watch Jacques do this). Repeat the above with the 2nd omelet. 


For the roasted vegetables:

• 1 red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 poblano pepper, sliced thin
• 3 very small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• olive oil
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• Goya Adobo seasoning with cumin
• Montreal steak seasoning 
• pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss all of the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the veggies until well coated with the oil.
2. Liberally add the above seasonings to your liking. I probably used about a 1/2 tsp for each. Stir the veggies until coated with oil, seasoning mix.
3. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 mins to avoid sticking. 

Kitchen Notes: This recipe can take poetic license regarding the seasoning and veggies used. This recipe for me was based on the convenience of what I could cobble together quickly.


Verdict? This recipe was just fun for me. It rivaled a good quality omelet from a fancy brunch joint, allowed me to use up some leftovers, and to learn how to cook something new that I really should have mastered long ago!

Zucchini Pancakes

My motivation for trying this recipe comes from the category Things that Would Be Delicious with Chipotle Sour Cream, indexed in the recipe, Smoky Lentil Soup with Chipotle Cream. Zucchini continues to be dirt cheap (ha, ha) at the Farmer's Market, so I had a few zukes hanging out in the crisper.

This recipe comes from Kevin of Closet Cooking . I followed his recipe pretty closely, though rather than tzatziki I used Chipotle Sour Cream.

Zucchini Pancakes with Chipotle Sour Cream (serves 2-3)

• 2 cups zucchini, shredded, drained, and squeezed
• 1 handful of fresh dill, chopped
• 1/3 C onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 C feta, very finely crumbled
• 1/2 C flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• salt & pepper to taste 
• peanut oil
• Chipotle Sour Cream, for garnish

1. Once the zucchini is drained with the moisture squeezed out, mix thoroughly it with the dill, onion, feta, flour, egg and salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pour 1/2 inch of peanut oil into a heavy skillet. Heat over medium high heat (about 375 on my stove).
3. Form the zucchini mixture into patties, approximately 1/2 inch thick. Fry a few at a time, for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with chipotle sour cream. 

 Kitchen Notes: I prefer the feta very finely crumbled so it seasons evenly. These pancakes are pretty awesome fresh, but don't reheat well, so challenge yourself to eat them the day they're made. In contrast though, I bet the mixture refrigerates well, so pack some away to fry later if you'd like. The pancakes themselves are not highly flavored--if you're not using the chipotle sour cream, or some other sauce with punch, add extra salt, pepper, or change up the herbs a bit. Definitely get as much water as possible out of the zucchini or the cakes will be soggy.

Verdict? Leave it to me to make zucchini unhealthy. A tasty alternative to potato pancakes. The outside texture is light and crispy, the inside rich and creamy. It's also now my personal mantra that anything with chipotle sour cream is delicious.

Greek (and German) Mac N' Cheese

Preposterous! Greek (German) Mac N'Cheese? What? Why?
Before I answer that, thanks to Food Hunter's Guide to Cuisine for hosting Presto Pasta Night  #237 for hosting this week. Now that the weather is (sometimes) cooler, I'm finding a lot more pasta in my rotation.

Anyway, back the original question, why Greek/German Mac N'Cheese? I had leftover cooked spatzele from Swiss Chard Spatzele and some leftover feta in the fridge that demanded it be used. I also had a block of goat cheese mozzarella that was approaching its farewell from the fridge. When I think feta, I think spinach, and when I think spinach and feta, I think spanakopitas. I didn't want to mess with philo dough for a weeknight meal, so I used pasta instead.

Greek (and German) Mac N' Cheese (serves 4 hungry people)

• 4 C cooked spatzele
• 2 C raw spinach, loosely packed
• olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• handful fresh dill, chopped
• 6 oz feta, finely crumbled
• 6 oz mozzarella, shredded (I used goat mozzarella)
• salt & pepper
• 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
• parmesan
• oregano 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Heat a small amount of olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes, or til slightly golden. Add the spinach, and saute til wilted. Turn off heat, and mix in the dill. Set aside.
2. Lightly grease a casserole dish with a bit of oil or butter. Add the cooked spatzele. Crumble in the feta and mozzarella and mix thoroughly. Add the spinach, and continue to mix in--be sure to save the saute pan from the spinach. Add a bit of salt, if desired, and pepper.  
3. Add a tiny, tiny bit more oil to the saute pan if necessary. Toss in the bread crumbs, a a bit of salt and pepper, and a bit of oregano. Stir constantly, and add a bit of parmesan if desired. 
4. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole. Cover, and cook for 30 mins. Remove cover, and cook an additional 30 mins or until the top is golden brown. 

                                                          Fresh Out of the Oven...

                                                          ...and a few minutes later

Verdict? Yummy stuff. I like the idea of a pasta version of spanakopita. It was a bit dry, I think it would benefit from a bit of cream cheese to smooth out the texture, not enough to change the flavor though. What surprised me the most, was that it reheated fabulously, and didn't dry out in the microwave.

Smoky Lentil Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

As often happens when I cook, a (small) chain reaction developed. I googled a recipe for cashew cream, became familiar with vegan chef Tal Ronnen, and borrowed one of his cookbooks from the library.

                                    
   I only took 1, really crummy picture because 1) I was really hungry; 2) I didn't want to keep dinner guests waiting!

One of my closest friends, and her sweet pal and colleague were visiting as a break from a long, dull drive. It was rainy, they were tired, and having worked at the hospital most of the day, I didn't have time to cook anything complex. And I was cooking for non-vegetarians.

So what did I do? Make smoky lentil soup. Lentil soup is a dish that surely makes many carnivores and dive into a steak. My husband and friends assured me (and maybe they were just being polite) that this was a winner. I was really sad I didn't make more, and it would freeze beautifully.

This recipe is adapted from The Conscious Cook, by Tal Ronnen. It was originally a split-pea soup recipe, and I de-veganized it and tweaked it some.

Smoky Lentil Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream (serves 4-6)

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 minced shallots
• 2 leeks, sliced thin
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 bay leaves 
•  2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 qt vegetable broth/faux chicken broth
• 1 1/2 C red lentils, picked over & rinsed
• handful chopped parsley
• juice of 1 lemon
• smoked salt
• pepper
• cilantro (optional)
• toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the shallots, leeks, garlic and onions and saute for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the carrots, and saute for about 5 minutes more. Add the rosemary, bay leaf, paprika, and crushed red pepper and saute for a couple more minutes.
3. Add the broth and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer, uncovered for 1 hour. 
4. Add smoked salt & pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice and parsley and cook for an additional 10 mins. Serve with a dollop of chipotle sour cream (see below) and toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro if desired. 


For the chipotle sour cream:

• 1 C sour cream
• 1/2 canned chipotle with adobo sauce
• 1 tsp adobo sauce from the can
• salt & pepper
• juice of 1 lime

1. Place sour cream, chipotle, adobo sauce and lime in a food processor and pulse til smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse again and re-season if needed. If possible, make 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Kitchen Notes: The chipotle sour cream really makes this soup. If you don't feel like making it, at least chop some chipotle peppers and drop them in the soup pot.

Verdict? I realize it's odd to be so excited about lentil soup but this stuff is g-o-o-d! The smoky flavors of the paprika, smoked salt and chipotle give the soup more substance without making it heavy. The chipotle sour cream is outstanding, and super simple. It will make a cameo in a couple future posts, and will keep the Cuisinart busy.

Coconut Quinoa Pudding

Growing up in a Portuguese community in Massachusetts, Portuguese rice pudding, or sweet rice, was a very common dessert, served warm or cold. Recently, on a cold rainy weekend, I wanted dessert. I didn't want to drive to the store, and I didn't want something that required a lot of hands on time. I know, picky, picky.

For some reason, rice pudding popped into my head. Then, coconut rice pudding (very un-Portuguese) popped into my head. Then quinoa as a replacement for rice popped into my head (couldn't be because I had cooked quinoa in the fridge, could it?). I googled coconut rice pudding, got a handle on the basic technique, and went to work.

Coconut Quinoa Pudding (makes 4 small servings)

• 1 1/2 C quinoa, cooked
• 1 can coconut milk (13 oz can)
• pinch of salt 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 pods ground cardamom 
• 1 tsp lemon or lime juice (optional)
• flaked coconut and/or toasted almonds for garnish (optional)

1. In a small sauce pan, mix together the quinoa, coconut milk, salt, vanilla and cardamom and bring to a boil, stirring carefully to avoid scorching. 
2. Simmer, uncovered, on low heat, stirring often, until thickened.
3. Stir in the lemon or lime juice if using. Sprinkle on the coconut and almonds if desired. 

Kitchen Notes: In this recipe, the bitterness of the quinoa can ruin the flavor. Be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking. It's possible that this would have been better using raw quinoa cooked in the coconut milk, but I was trying to use leftovers efficiently. Normally, I love my spice grinder, but for cardamom, my mortar and pestle make far faster work than the spice grinder.

Verdict? I really enjoyed this, but it's certainly not for everyone. A mild bitterness from the quinoa is unavoidable. Using quinoa is a nice alternative to, but not substitute for, rice. Let's not kid ourselves--the use of quinoa did not transform this dessert into healthfood, but it did boost its nutrition content.

Curried Zucchini Soup

Back in grad school, I used to frequently eat at The Red Herring, a non-profit, typically student run vegetarian (and when I was in school, strictly vegan) restaurant. It was charming and eclectic, and typically served a killer bowl of soup for $3. One of my favorites was their curried zucchini soup. I've tried to make it at home before, never with much success.

 I recently started experimenting with cashew cream, an ingredient used in a lot of vegan recipes to simulate heavy cream. I thought that this might be the ingredient that finally brings me success with this soup, especially since it's what the Red Herring used to give soups a creamy texture and mouthfeel. 

Curried Zucchini Soup (serves 4)

• Vegetable Oil 
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 shallots, miched 
• 1 large zucchini, diced (about 3 C)
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 C faux-chicken or veggie broth
• salt & pepper
• 1-1.5 C cashew cream 

1. Heat a bit of oil in a small Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the garlic and shallots and stir over medium heat until the shallots begin to soften. Don't allow the garlic to brown. 
2. Add the diced zucchini. Add more oil if required. Add the garam masala, curry powder, cayenne & turmeric and sautee for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini begins to soften.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 30 mins. Taste, adding salt & pepper & additional spices as needed. 
4. Stir in the cashew cream until well incorporated. Once well mixed, (carefully!) scoop a few ladlefuls into a food processor and pulse til smooth. Add back to the soup.
5. Add additional broth, or cashew cream if desired to achieve preferred consistency. If you'd like, process more of the soup for a smoother consistency.
6. Adjust seasonings, and cook for a few more minutes over med-low heat. Garnish with onion relish if desired. 

Kitchen Notes: I threw this soup together pretty haphazardly, & this soup will be forgiving regarding the spices you use, so feel free to experiment depending on your whims.


Verdict? Help! This soup is good, but it's not quite what I remember. The texture was perfect--really spot on, and it's surprisingly that there's no dairy. You can see by the sheen on the soup that it looks like proper cream--this would be a good alternative for someone with a dairy/lactose allergy or high cholesterol. The flavor, however was a bit too mild for me, and in past experiences, adding copious amounts of curry powder makes a food gritty. Does anyone have a favorite curry brand? Or a recommendation of other spices?

Zesty Kale & Noodles with Fried Tofu

This is a recipe I'm proud of, not because it's a showstopper, but because it utilized 4 ingredients in my fridge that needed to be consumed. They were:

• Kale, from Spanish Vegetable Soup
• Elbow noodles, from the same above
• Tofu (I can't remember why I had half a block of tofu in the fridge--I'm trying to catch up with my recipes!)
• Black beans, from Southwestern Quinoa Salad 

                                             


Anyway, this recipe is quick, very healthy if you omit the (ehem, fried) tofu. Nice penance for my last post, Swiss Chard Spatzele, which featured my friend and foe, heavy cream.


Zesty Kale & Noodles with Fried Tofu (serves 2)
For the Zesty Kale & Noodles:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• vegetable oil
• 1 dried ancho pepper, rehydrated and diced
• 1/2 can black beans, drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp or more red pepper flakes
• 2 C kale, thoroughly cleaned, stemmed & torn into small pieces 
• 2 C cooked macaroni noodles
• juice & zest of 1 lime
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat a bit of oil in a wok or sautee pan. Add the garlic & onion and stir for about 3 mins.
2. Add the ancho pepper and stir for a couple more mins. Add the beans,cumin & red pepper flakes and cook for about 4-5 mins over med-low heat.
3. Add the kale. If it sticks, add a very small amount of water. Increase the heat to medium and stir frequently until the kale is tender. Add the cooked noodles & incorporate into the kale mixture. 
4. Salt & pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the lime juice and zest. 

For the Fried Tofu:

• Peanut Oil (or other oil with a high smoking point)
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu, pressed & drained, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces, about 1 1/2 inches in length
• 1/2 C fine corn meal
• salt & pepper

1. Heat the oil (3/4 inch) in a heavy fry pan over med-high heat (about 375 degrees on my stove)
2. Mix together the corn meal and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Thoroughly coat each tofu piece in the cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.
3. Fry the tofu, careful not to overcrowd, about 3 mins on each side, until golden brown. 
4. Drain, and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. I recommend salsa verde 

Kitchen Notes: When I made this, I didn't tear up the kale adequately for my tastes, making it rather tough. Tearing the kale into bite-sized pieces should eliminate this. The fried tofu tastes best when served immediately. The breading for the tofu is underseasoned--this is intentional, since I have such a powerhoused sauce, if you're serving with something more bland, add some garlic or cayenne or other good stuff to the breading.

Verdict? As a weeknight dinner, this was great, though the tofu is a bit time consuming. The kale has a nice, fresh, zippy flavor, and the consistency of the tofu is perfect--very cripsy outside, and creamy inside. Yum!

Swiss Chard Spatzele

I love the alliterative title of this post! I'm submitting this entry into Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Honey B of The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Be sure to check out her site!

.This recipe comes from a cookbook I haven't featured yet, Recipes from America's Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein. This cookbook came with our CSA in 2010. I don't use it too often, but some recipes are pretty clever, including this one. I've made some small modifications to the original recipe. This is comfort food--it's not especially low fat or low calorie, but it makes clever use of produce frequently tossed away--Swiss chard stems. If you make my Spanish Vegetable Soup, you'll have some leftover stems to use in this recipe. Take a peek at the cookbook below!

Swiss Chard Spatzele (serves 4)

• 3 C Swiss chard stems, chopped 
• 1 C Swiss chard leaves, torn
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 C olive oil
• salt & pepper
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 C heavy cream
• 1/3 C dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 C grated Parmesan
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch herbs de Provence 
• 2 C spatzele, uncooked
• butter
• salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the garlic & shallots, cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. 
2. Add the Swiss chard stems and saute for 3 mins. Add the leaves, nutmeg, and salt & pepper to taste, cook for about 5 mins or until leaves are tender.
3. Lightly butter a small baking dish. Spoon the chard mixture into the baking dish, drizzle the cream over the chard. Be sure the save the saute pan!
4. Meanwhile, begin heating the water for the spatzele. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, herbs de Provence, garlic powder and Parmesan. 
5. Place the same saute pan as used with the chard over low heat. Add the bread crumb mixture, and stir over low heat for a few minutes.
6. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the chard/cream mixture. Place in oven, uncovered, for 15 mins. While the casserole is baking, cook the spatzele (generally takes 10-15 mins) .
7. When the spatzele is done cooking, drain, and mix in a pat of butter and some salt & pepper. Spoon the chard mixture over the spatzele and enjoy. 

                                                                   Chard Cooking

Verdict? Swiss chard and cream make a great alternative to creamed spinach. The sweetness of the cream with the earthiness of the chard complements each other well, and there are a surprising diversity of textures. Certified cold weather food!