stuffed swiss chard leaves
This recipe is a nod to Spring; to the leaves that thrive in a container garden on cold nights and temperate days. I’m speaking of Swiss chard, but honestly, you can use almost any leaf that will survive blanching. You could do this in the fall and use collard leaves or most any time with Tuscan kale.
The filling can be altered too. For Fall I’d use butternut squash and warming spices, while for spring I used sage leaves for a refreshing, crisp flavor.
What makes this recipe uber-unique is the sharp contrast of sweet and salty provided by the olives and dates. Again, these flavors can be omitted or changed for dishes in different seasons. Who knows? Maybe this will be a staple; I can publish a different version for each season. What do you think?
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 each, of a red and green pepper (or any 2 colors), diced
2 tsp salt, divided
8-12 pitted black or green olives, sliced
3 pitted dates, sliced
8-12 sage leaves, diced finely
2/3 lb venison or pork sausage, hot or mild
6 large Swiss chard leaves
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add shallot and garlic and brown. Add salt and sausage. Use a large spoon or spatula to break sausage into a crumble and cook until there is no more pink.
Add the peppers, olives, dates and sage leaves. Cook 3-4 min until peppers are semi-soft.
Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove-top; add 1 tsp. salt. Cut leggy stems off of Swiss chard leaves and discard, leaving a 2-inch ‘tail’ on each leaf. Rinse the leaves well. Drop leaves into boiling water 1 at the time. As soon as you drop in the last, remove the 1st one you put in. Remove all leaves from water gently with a slotted spoon. Place leaves on paper towel to drain. Gently blot excess water.
To assemble:
Spread each leaf out on a plate and spoon 2-3 Tbs of sausage mixture in the middle. Gently roll up like a burrito, tucking in ‘tail’ of the stem to secure.
Repeat process for all leaves.
Notes:
You may have some leftover sausage mixture. You can expand this into another whole meal by adding a can of tomatoes. You can vary the flavor a little by serving over a bed of rice and topping with a fried egg.
This is a wonderfully adaptable meal. You can flex the vegetables and spice/herb mix to suit your palate. As with all recipes from The Helpful Plate, we encourage you to play with this & use it as a template to discover something yummy in your own kitchen!
