ARF: Swiss Chard & Kielbasa Pasta
Posted on August 1, 2006
The other day, I wrote about Kale and how it was a foreign vegetable to me until recently. Today, in honor of Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays, I am highlighting another vegetable that is new to me: swiss chard.
This leafy green vegetable is rich in antioxidants – in fact, one cup carries 52.5% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. It’s also chock full of iron, potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin K, among others.
I resisted trying this vegetable though, fearing the unknown, until I saw an interesting recipe for a pasta using it in the June 2006 issue of Gourmet (”Pasta with Kielbasa and Swiss Chard”). It’s been earmarked for months, just waiting to be used. Finally I assembled all the ingrediants this week to try it out…and even my vegetable hating husband said he would be willing to try it again. Truth be told, he liked the greens but disliked the ribs. I didn’t really notice them.
In any case, this recipe, slightly adapted from the Gourmet version, was a winner that will be repeated in this Cucina Bella.
1 lb Swiss chard
1 lb kielbasa, sliced down the center and cut into 1/2 chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3/4 lb angel hair pasta
fresh grated pecorino romano
Prepare your ingrediants – this is a fast cooking meal, so get your water boiling for the pasta, seperate the leaves from the stems of the Swiss chard and chop each (stems should be chopped into 1/4 inch slices and set aside), cut the kielbasa and mince the garlic.
Preheat a large, heavy pot – I used an 8 qt, but a 5 qt should be sufficient – over high heat. Add kielbasa and cook, stirring frequently, until it develops a golden hue (it only takes 2-3 minutes). Remove kielbasa from the pot.
Reduce heat to mediu,Add olive oil, salt and chard stems to the pot. Cook, stirring a little, for about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute, stirring.
(You should be putting the pasta into the pot now)
Stir in chard leaves, water, and red pepper flakes and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until stems are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add kielbasa to the pot and stir.
Drain pasta, saving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Combine pasta and kielbasa mixture in the large pot. If necessary, still in some of the reserved water to mix well.
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