Pasta with Swiss Chard

I love that my kid is full of surprises. Not the bad ones…and, just guessing everyone’s kids have delivered some of those not-so-good surprises. It’s the good ones I love. The ones that light up your face and heart with a smile.

When my son left home for college he left as a typical high school kid. He came back a much more enlightened being. One of those enlightenments came in the form of food appreciation. All of a sudden he liked—or at least was willing to try—things he’d never, ever before put in his mouth.  Eating consistently mediocre institutional food has a good side—the food served at home instantaneously becomes coveted and delicious.

(I type this as his best bud sits here munching chocolate covered gummy bears while waiting to shove off for a movie. Kid you not.)

Since the kid returned to the fold I’ve been happily watching him consume salads daily. Woohoo!

It seemed like a stretch to get him to try this pasta dish—a favorite recipe from my sister. But, he ate it and announced he liked it. He likes chard. Woohoo! (Yes, this is a two Woohoo! post.)

First salad, then chard, what’s next? Maybe kale? We’ll just have to see.

A few notes about some of the ingredients:

• The chard and pasta amounts can be adjusted up or down to accommodate the number of servings you want. I would say 1/2 lb. each chard and pasta will feed two or three people. In my humble opinion, the more chard the better. (In fact, you can make just the chard and no pasta, if you prefer) So, if I get 3/4 of a pound of chard from the farm I’ll use it all with half a pound of pasta for the three of us.  Chard, like most greens cooks down significantly.
• Olive Oil - I always use First Cold Press olive oil. Remember, the better the olive oil the better your dish will taste.
• We’ve been getting green garlic and spring onions from the organic CSA so I’m using them in my recipes where I can. I cut off the “hairy” ends and chop them well up the stalk—using an inch or two of the white stalk as well as the bulb. If you don’t have access to these regular garlic and onions will work just as well.
• We get rainbow chard from the garden. It’s delicious so I recommend using that. However, any chard will work well in this recipe.

Pasta with Swiss Chard

Olive oil

1 stalk green garlic (or 2 cloves garlic)

2 spring onions (or one small onion)

1/2 to 1 pound Swiss Chard, rinsed (see bullet one above)

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

2 ripe tomatoes (or 1 cup tomato sauce)

salt and pepper

6 to 12 oz. gluten-free pasta (see bullet one above)

Place a large pot filled with water on high heat. Add about a half a teaspoon of salt to the water when it starts to boil. Prepare the pasta as instructed on the package but subtract two minutes of cooking time. So, if the package says 9 minutes (as is the case with the Bionaturae penne I used) then boil for 7 minutes. Drain, but reserve a cup of the pasta water. I usually put the water on to boil before I begin to prepare the chard so the pasta cooks while the chard is cooking.

Pour a few turns of olive oil into a large skillet and place on a burner set at medium heat to warm. Coarsely dice the green garlic (alternatively, if using garlic cloves, smash then dice them) and onions. Add to the pan and give it a good stir. You want the garlic and onions to cook for a few minutes until they start to wilt and become translucent. Take care not to burn them.

Meanwhile, remove the stems from the chard, dice and add to the pan. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise. Then turn the leaves and cut into one-inch strips along the short side. Add to the pan and sauté, turning with tongs until they begin to wilt. Add another glug or two of oil if needed. (You may have to add the chard in batches if your pan can’t accommodate the entire amount at one time. As the chard wilts just add more fresh chard to the pan until it’s all been added.)

Dice the tomatoes (or if fresh tomatoes aren’t available about a cup of tomato sauce will work) and add to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything gently together with the tongs or a wooden spoon. Add the broth and simmer for a few minutes.

Place the drained pasta and about a half a cup of the pasta water (more if needed) into the pan. Stir everything gently. Simmer for three or four minutes until the pasta is done. The pasta water will thicken the tomato sauce so it becomes a little creamy. The trick is to add enough pasta water to create a good amount of sauce but not so much it’s like soup.

Serve and enjoy!

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Beach House Cream Biscuits & Strawberry Laced Cream Cheese

I’m writing this post with the utmost confidence the cream scones now beautifully browning in the oven will turn out well. Truth be told I’m keeping my fingers crossed more than anything.

Why Beach House Cream Biscuits? Because I’m at the beach in a kitchen that isn’t equiped like the one at home. There are no special ingredients in the pantry—the kind you need for baking GF and vegan. There aren’t several varieties  of flour, xanthan gum, egg replacer and the like. There isn’t a rolling pin, a biscuit cutter or a cookie sheet.

There is an oven. And I have a lot of iniatitive. The adventure begins.

Cream biscuits were my target. The Whole Foods GF Cream Biscuits I enjoyed before finding out cow dairy didn’t agree with my gut wafted into my head. They were ever so tasty when topped with strawberry laced cream cheese. There’s Vermont Creamery Creamy Goat Cheese* and fresh strawberries in the fridge. The craving would not be denied.

What’s to lose by trying to make cream biscuits in this meager (yet beautiful and relaxing) environment? A few dollars and a bit of time. That’s all. Not much.

My husband ventured out with me to a favorite health food store to see what we could muster up. This had to be simple—there’s limited space in the cabinets for leftover ingredients. A package of Namaste Gluten-free No Sugar Added Muffin Mix, a can of coconut milk, and some Earth Balance Buttery Sticks later and we were on our way. There was sugar, utensils, parchment paper, the bottom of a roasting pan (cookie sheet), and a bottle of wine (rolling pin) back at the house. The camera—my iPhone. This could work.

Google produced a few simple recipes from some popular TV culinary personalities that could be used for inspiration—Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, Emeril Lagasse.

Amazingly, it all came together and worked beautifully.  These may not the most inspirational biscuits you’ll ever come across. They’re not a culinary marvel. What they are is proof that even a sensitive eater can whip up something delicious with a few simple ingredients, motivation, and a little ingenuity.

I enjoyed today’s little MacGyver cooking adventure.

*According to their website Vermont Creamery cheeses are free from eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat and gluten.

Beach House Cream Biscuits & Strawberry Laced Cream Cheese

Cream Biscuits

1 14 ounce package Namaste GF No Sugar Added Muffin Mix

½ teaspoon salt

9 sugar packets (3 tablespoons)

4 tablespoons Earth Balance

1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (full fat – do not use Lite)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Measure 2 cups of the muffin mix into a medium size bowl. Add the salt and contents of the sugar packets. Mix with a fork.

Drop the cold Earth Balance into the flour mixture in small chunks. Mix with the fork (or your hands) until the flour has a sandy texture and there are no noticeable chunks of shortening.

Add about 2/3 of the can of coconut milk and mix with a spoon or spatula until the ingredients are blended—do not over mix. You may add more coconut milk a tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency. It should be a dough that can be pulled together with your hands—not too sticky but not hard, either. If you add too much milk you can add back a little of the left over muffin mix to even it out (again a tablespoon at a time).

Reserve the remaining coconut milk for another use. Tear off the label and wash out and dry the can—this will be your biscuit cutter if you don’t have one handy. Place a few tablespoons of flour in a small dish or bowl. You’re going to coat the can with the flour before you cut each biscuit.

Lay a piece of parchment down on the counter. Cover the parchment with a bit of flour. Turn the dough out onto it and pat into a disc. Sprinkle with a little more flour. Place another piece of parchment over top of the dough. Roll the dough out until it’s about ¾ inch thick.

Dip the open side of the can in the reserved flour before using it to cut the biscuits. Push the can into the dough. Do not twist—pull it straight up after each biscuit is cut. Flour the can between each biscuit. Gently pick up the biscuits and place them on a parchment lined baking tray. Pull together the scraps and repeat the process.

You can sprinkle the biscuits with a little extra sugar if you like. Pop them in the oven for 12-15 minutes. They should be slightly browned. Remove to a rack when cool enough to handle.

Strawberry Laced Cream Cheese

4 ounces gluten-free creamy goat cheese (or non-dairy cream cheese for a vegan version)

6 very ripe medium-sized strawberries

3 packets sugar (1 tablespoon)

Place the cream cheese in a small bowl. Wash and cut up the strawberries. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit and cheese. Mix it all together with a fork until the strawberries are mashed thoroughly into the cream cheese and it takes on a beautiful bright pink hue. Alternatively, macerate the strawberries and sugar together before mixing into the cheese.

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