I am lucky to know so many great cooks, bakers, and healthy eaters; consequently, to mix things up a bit on Sweet Mary, I've asked some of my friends and family to share some of their favorite recipes. So, we can all look forward to some great food and stories.
First up is my sister-in-law Kate, who is a whiz in the kitchen and constantly makes healthy food and baked goods from scratch for her family (i.e. my brother and nephew). Her family has a wonderful and bountiful garden that provides a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that make it to their table in interesting ways. I am bummed I live 5 hours away or this single lady would be showing up for dinner...a lot! Here is Kate's post and recipe for Chard Strata.
Summer cooking in the Allen household is all about one thing: making use of garden bounty. And making the most of the garden means being able to cook one item in many different-though-appealing ways. Last year I hit a personal record with butternut squash. After all the stews and pies and breads and roasted vegetables, however, my husband's enthusiasm started to wane. The pureed soup finally did him in. After he wouldn't touch it, I said, "If you aren't going to eat butternut squash, you are going to have to stop planting it." You can imagine my surprise when he said, "I didn't plant it. It just came up on its own."
One thing he does plant is Swiss chard, which luckily can also be cooked several delicious ways: with fish in foil, in a leafy green calzone, on a feta-topped pizza, into cheesy squares, or as part of an Indian feast featuring palak paneer. The other beauty of Swiss chard is that it doesn't mature all at once or go to seed; you can trim from it all summer long. Blanched and chopped, it also freezes well, so you can feel like Popeye all year long. Here is one of my favorite uses: Swiss chard strata. Served room temperature, it is a useful summer dish - good for brunch, lunch, dinner, or picnics.
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 slices sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
pinch ground pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped tomato, drained of any juice
4 large Swiss chard leaves
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tbs parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish.
Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in bread, herbs, and pepper. Set aside to soak.
Heat oil in skillet, cook onion about 8 minutes, add garlic and cook about 2 minutes, add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
Prepare chard: Blanch leaves in boiling water for a couple of minutes, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and roughly chop.
To the egg mixture, add the onion/tomato mixture, chard, and crumbled feta.
Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed and set.