Garden Chards Stuffed with Risotto

Oh my, this was good.  Chards, collards, or any large leafy green
are great wraps for any filling.  

Many years ago, dear Dr. Mariam mentioned something to me that made such simple sense, I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it myself.  We were enjoying someone's home-made dolmas.  They were soooo good.  I was marveling at the precision of the grape leaf wound around the filling when she said "...you know, you can use any leaf to wrap around a filling."  Or something like that.   Oh wow.  This opened up a whole new way to think about the chards, kales, collards, and even lighter lettuces in our garden.

Fast forward, I now use dark leafy greens in place of pasta for such dishes as caneloni or lasagna. For an elegant touch, I poach butter lettuce leaves briefly then wrap them around tender morsels of fresh salmon and bake.  Lettuces and dark leafy greens are prolific growers and we used to see them "bolt" before we had a chance to use them all up.  Thankfully we have found another way to use them. And, just like with regular pasta, if I am using these greens in an Italian-style dish, I double the recipe and freeze in portions for future use.

One basic thing though when using any lettuces as a wrap is to remove the tough spine.  Since chards and collards are large leafed, I run my knife along the edge of the spine and end up with two halves which means two wraps.  Same with the butter lettuce except that this lettuce leaf is smaller so I carefully cut around the thickest part of the spine but leave the rest of the leaf intact. After a brief dunk in simmering water, the whole leaf is softened and usable and we manage to gently wrap our parcels so no holes are left to let precious juices leak out.

Simply run your knife along the spine and remove it.  Voila!  Two usable halves.

The following recipe is inspired by Rosalind Creasy and her book the Edible Italian Garden.  She lives in our neighborhood and has conspired in the past with such notable chefs and growers as the Sebastianis and Paul Bertolli who was the chef at Chez Panisse restaurant for many years.

I followed a recipe for mushroom risotto (well not really because I always add my own inventions....) that was vegetarian.  Rosalind's recipe includes prosciutto and beef stock which I imagine is divine. This is the thing, once you are comfortable with preparing a filling and you have a vegetable wrap, you can create anything!

Serves:  6
Prep and Cook time: about an hour

Six or more large chard leaves, large stem removed
Risotto, recipe below
Tomato Sauce, I used organic canned from Costco with nothing else added
Cheese for topping, optional

Risotto:
2 Tblsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 portobello mushroom, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 - 4 cups vegetable broth, or more (I use water if more moisture if needed)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion and mushrooms until they are tender, about 7- 9 minutes.  Add the rice and stir so that the rice is coated with the buttery onion and mushroom mix. Add the white wine and stir for a few minutes until most of the wine moisture is gone.  Enjoy the heady aroma!

Start adding the vegetable broth, one cup at a time, stirring to incorporate the moisture throughout the rice.  Some people say you have to stir the whole time while adding the broth.  I don't do that because I am distracted by getting my baking dish ready, simmering the chards, and opening my can of tomato sauce....ya di ya.  Anyway, make sure you stir it often enough and note when it is starting to look dry and need another cup or so of broth.  When it is "to the tooth" (slightly crunchy but close to being creamy) add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly.  Remove from heat.

While the rice is cooking, bring a large skillet of water to a simmer.  Dip your halved chard leaves into the water to soften.  This takes a minute or so for each leaf.  Remove and set aside.  Your wraps are ready.

Prepare your baking dish by spooning tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start wrapping!  For each chard leaf, add about 2+ tablespoons mushroom risotto mixture on the leaf and roll up.  Fill your baking dish with the rolls, seam side down, and top with tomato sauce until each roll is covered. The last topping of cheese is your choice.  The original recipe recommends Gruyere, however, I just used a bit of leftover Parmesan and some left-over Swiss cheese.  The topping is not the most important part of the recipe.  Once you bake this and eat it, the nugget is what is inside.

Ready to cook.  We didn't really need to add the goopy cheese on top.  It
would have been fine without it.  Or possibly just a fine grating
of Parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with a greens salad dressed with vinaigrette and, if you desire, a slice of rustic bread.  Hmmm.

Approximate calories per serving (considering about two roll-ups per person) is 285 calories.  Add in about 10 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, 10 grams fat of which the majority is vegetable based,   There are approximately 35 g carbs total for diabetics who need to watch those numbers.  A daily requirement of iron and vitamin A is included in this delightful bundle.

Vegan option:  replace the butter with preferred oil and eliminate the cheese.

Have fun with this recipe!

- Kim Fielding