Swiss Chard: A Rainbow of Taste

Have you seen them in your grocery store? Beautiful bunches of Swiss chard with their shiny, dark crinkled leaves?

This very nutritious vegetable is related to beets, and the stems come in a variety of colors. I like Bright Lights, a variety with a rainbow of colors from yellow to pink, orange and red.

Many people overlook this vegetable or if they cook it, it is mostly steamed or boiled and served as a side veggie. Swiss chard is available all year long but it is best from June until early fall. If your family is like mine, sometimes you have to do a magic act to get them to try things that are good for them. I wanted to give Swiss chard a new lease on taste and make it more exciting, so I decided that stuffing it with a tasty ricotta cheese filling was the way to go.
If you like surprising your family with something new, try this. Even the picky eaters will like it, and it is a perfect dish for vegetarians. And for those who need something a bit more robust, try stuffing the leaves with your favorite meatloaf or meatball mixture.

Bietola Ripiena
Stuffed Swiss Chard

Serves 4

One 15 ounce container ricotta cheese (skim or whole milk)
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 small onion, diced
8 large whole swiss chard leaves with stems washed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, salt and parsley.  Set aside.

Cut away the stems from the swiss chard and thinly slice them.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Add the whole leaves and blanch for 10 seconds. Carefully remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and allow them to cool.

Meanwhile heat the  olive oil in a sauté pan. When the oil is hot add the onion and stems and cook them over medium heat until the stems soften. Cool the mixture slightly, then add to the bowl with the ricotta cheese mixture.

Lay each swiss chard leaf flat and spread  1/4 cup of the cheese mixture down  the center of each. Starting from the end nearest you roll each leave up to encase the filling, folding in the sides as you go.

Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the base of the casserole.

Place the swiss chard rolls in a  single layer in the casserole and spread the remaining tomato sauce over the tops of each.

Sprinkle the tops with the cheese.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and bake for 35 minutes. 

Uncover and  serve immediately.

Comments

[ALBERT J. BELTZ]

CIAO MARYANN,

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH SO VERY MANY OF US. FOOD BRINGS BACK MANY GREAT MEMORIES. THANKS ALBERT

[marcie smith]

Mary Ann and staff..... what a PERFECT low-carb dish... I am on a popular lowered carb diet ( which WORKS by the way)...so pasta is out for a while.... this is wonderful!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! xoxox

[carol scanlan]

I make a similar recipe called "Ricotta and Savoy Cabbage Rolls" which I found in a book called The Silver Spoon. It is the Italian version of a Betty Crocker or Pillsbury cookbook which was translated into English a couple or years ago. The recipe uses Swiss chard cooked and chopped finely mixed with ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese then rolled in the cabbage leaves and topped with tomato sauce. We just love it. I will try it with just the chard for a change. I'm sure it will be a big hit. Thanks

[Patricia Battaglioli]

I am very happy to hear you will be back on tv looking forward to watching you again. Will be making your stuffed swiss chard it looks very good my family will love it,along with many of your other receipes,I have made from all of your many cookbooks I have. My granddaughter is studying to become a chef she will be going to Italy the end of Aug.and be there
until Thanksgiving we are both very excited. Patricia Battaglioli

[Christine Rumph]

Oh, my...These were so delicious, we nearly drank them down. Succulent, creamy, full of fresh flavor, we went from preparation to plate in about 40 minutes. It's perfect. Thank you, Mary Ann for this wonderful recipe. It will be even more pleasurable when the Swiss chard we are growing in the back yard begin to mature. Delicious.