Crazy chard.
Make a casserole! We grew gigantic chard this year and the stems are as big as celery. This casserole was inspired by a simple mac'n'cheese recipe from one of my World War II era cookbooks.
Chop chard stems into 1" pieces.
Pre-cook them until just starting to soften. I sauteed....they darkened. Next time I'll steam them a bit.
Place half in a casserole dish and cover with a grating cheese. I use an aged, hard feta that I make with our goat's milk. Romano or Parmesan would work nicely. Or you can skip this and go straight to your main cheese.
Cover with a generous amount of whatever cheese you like. I used gruyere for this, an eight ounce package. A sharp cheddar would be wonderful. A mix of mozzarella and provolone would be nice. Whatever you'd like, but make it a little zippy.
Add the rest of the chard stems.
Add the rest of your cheese. I poured a half glass of milk carefully in the corners, as was in the directions of my mac'n'cheese recipe, but you can skip this. Without pasta to absorb this, it was rather watery.
Since the oven would be on, I whipped up a chocolate cake to throw in as well.
Ah, toasted cheesy yumminess!
This casserole recipe is definitely a keeper. The hubster admitted that when he saw me cooking, he was not looking forward to supper. But when he tasted it, he enthusiastically requested that I make this recipe again and again. It was super easy, too. And there was cake. What more does one need, I ask you?
Could you actually eat the chard stalks raw like celery?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Karen. They are a bit earthy, and I've never been a big fan of raw celery, so it never occurred to me to try it. When I cut them, the strings are a bit tougher than celery strings, so that may be a bit challenging if eating them. Maybe the smaller, younger ones?
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