Hearty Winter Meals from the Vegetable Garden

I have more greens in my garden than I can handle – the winter rains (thank goodness) have made everything grow, grow, grow – honestly, I think they grow as I stand there watching them. Because my garden went in late this year (Anzac Day – 25th April), the big boys have not yet matured – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and leeks, but the greens – silverbeet, rainbow chard, Tuscan black kale,  freckles lettuce, english spinach and coriander have -they’re all grown up and are ready to party.  

Rainbow Chard” width=”480″ height=”http://wholefoodcooking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_0590-375×500.jpg”> Rainbow Chard

If you look hard you can see the freckles lettuce (an heirloom variety), and the english spinach with the sugar snap peas beginning to climb.” width=”480″ height=”http://wholefoodcooking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_0600-375×500.jpg”>  If you look hard you can see the freckles lettuce (an heirloom variety), and the english spinach with the sugar snap peas beginning to climb.

So what to do with this bounty? For breakfast I’m picking big, fat leaves of english spinach and folding it into an egg scramble (but would also be good with a tofu scramble – there is a recipe for that in Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight) with coriander thrown in at the last minute. The smaller leaves are going into salads (my current fave is the Beetroot, Goats Cheese salad from Coming Home to Eat, Wholefood for the Family), or tossed simply into butter to wilt with salt, pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg as a side dish, or folded into the soups at the last minute – the young Tuscan black kale leaves are great for that also. But with it’s oxalic acid, silverbeet/chard is best cooked – so it’s going into   lasagne, quiche, Hunza Pie from Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight, and the silverbeet and pasta gratin from that book also (as does the english spinach and kale). I also made the yummiest ‘sausage’ rolls the other night, with cooked silverbeet (you can see it cut on the table in the picture above), drained well, chopped up and mixed with some cooked onion and mushroom, pesto (made in late summer and stored in the freezer) and ricotta. A young goats cheese (I would use the Ringwould Blanc, here in Western Australia) or if you wanted a dairy free version of this, you could use the tofu ricotta from Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight. So – lots, and lots of options!! Heidi Swanson also has a great recipe for chard (silverbeet) and white beans, in her book Super Natural Cooking, it’s simple and delicious. But, I thought we’d do this – Chard, Mushroom and Rice Bake. This is the dish I was making as I wrote my introduction to my previous book, Coming Home to Eat. I’ve been cooking it for years and it was a regular as my daughter Nessie was growing up, in one version or another.  This version sees the addition of the high protein grain, Amaranth. When served with a dessert, it makes a simple and sustaining dinner, it packs well in a lunch box, or can be gently warmed for breakfast. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

I’d love to hear about your meals from the winter garden, and whilst we are updating this blog page so we can chat freely, facebook is also a great forum. I’ll look forward to hearing about them!

A note to anonymous who asked about cocao powder – I’m going to answer that on facebook!

As a note, I really prefer to blanch my silverbeet/chard in a large pot of boiling, salted water rather than fry it in a pan – it gives a much softer texture. Place them in the pot stem first, and cook for 2 – 5 minutes, depending on how old or tough the stems are. 

Still a few tomatoes left from my farmer!! I like to do this in cast iron, this is a favourite Mario Batali one I got for $20.00 (yes you read right) in the U.S

Cooked and Yummy

Mushroom, Chard or Silverbeet, Rice Bake

You can bake this in virtually any ovenproof dish, but a loaf shaped dish makes it great for cutting. I use my favourite cast iron loaf pan, measuring 28cm x 8cm, with a depth of 4cm, taking 85 mins to cook. The fundamental rule is the deeper the dish, the longer it will take to cook.

1/4  cup medium grain brown rice

1 teaspoons amaranth.

1 teaspoon whey or lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons butter or ghee

1 onion, finely sliced

150 gm mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

300 gm Rainbow Chard or Silverbeet, any thick stem chopped off.

½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

250 gm ricotta cheese

2 eggs

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tomato thinly sliced

¼ cup pine nuts, roughly chopped

Add the rice, amaranth, whey and ½ cup water to a small bowl. Cover and leave to sit out on the bench (or in the fridge when the weather is warmer) over night or during the day.

Because amaranth is so fine, draining the soaking liquid really doesn’t work. Just place the entire contents – rice, amaranth and soaking water, in a small pot, cover and gently bring to the boil. Cook over low heat, making sure no steam escapes through the lid. Cook for 45 – 50 mins from the time it comes to the boil. Check at about 40 mins, and if you’re absolutely sure there’s not enough water, add a touch more. Amaranth doesn’t cook pretty – it may all look a bit stodgy, but will be fine when embraced by all the other ingredients. When cooked turn into a medium size mixing bowl.

Pre heat the oven to 180c

Add the olive oil and butter to a medium frying pan with the onion and mushrooms. Cook over a medium – high heat for approx 5 mins, stirring every now and then. The mushroom should be lightly browned and there should be no liquid in the pan. Add the garlic, and stir through, cooking for another minute. Add the mushroom mix to the grains. Add the rainbow chard and 1 tablespoon water, and cook over a gentle heat, turning a few times, until it is well wilted. Give it a squeeze with some tongs, and drain off any liquid that remains. Add the chard to the mushroom and grain mix, stirring through. Leave to cool for a few minutes before adding the parmesan, ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper, and stir through well. 

Place the mixture into a baking dish, patting it down. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Bake for 60 – 80 mins, or until the centre is set. It will ooze and bubble around the sides a little, this is fine, and will add to the flavour. Allow to cool a little before serving.

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