Wilted swiss chard with pine nuts and oranges
There鈥檚 something about the arrival of spring where I can always hear myself saying, 鈥淭his is my favorite time of the year,鈥� even though summer and fall evoke the same statement. I think after a cold winter, I鈥檓 ready to embrace the tulips and cherry blossoms, but most of all, the variety of spring produce that is available.
After a winter filled with apples, squash and root vegetables, I鈥檓 ready with open arms for peas, asparagus, Swiss chard, spring beets, kale, garlic scapes, nettle, rhubarb and radishes. It鈥檚 like my body starts to crave all the bright and dark green leafy greens that flourish so beautifully this time of the year.
It鈥檚 not to say I won鈥檛 be as excited for all the summer bounty, but for now there鈥檚 more than enough to be creative with and I know we鈥檒l have so many yummy dishes to keep us busy.
This wilted salad is one of my spring time cravings. With the earthy wilted chard greens, I paired sweet and citrusy orange segments, a light vinaigrette and topped it with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. The chickpeas add substance and protein so the meat is not necessary. You can eat this as a main or serve it as a side. And, of course, I figured out all of these perfect flavor pairings with my . How did I live without this book for so long?
I hope you鈥檒l decide to give this a try. It鈥檚 a relatively simple recipe that comes together quickly if the chickpeas are made ahead of time. I can鈥檛 see why white beans or navy beans wouldn鈥檛 sub in beautifully here if that鈥檚 what you have on hand.
If you follow traditional food preparation, I鈥檝e included the soaking method for the chickpeas in the notes.
Hello spring in a bowl!
Wilted Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Oranges
8 chard stalks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 oranges, 1 peeled and cut into segments, the other juiced
2 tabelspoons of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup cooked chickpeas (see cooking notes below)
1/4 crumbled goat cheese
Wash and cut the Swiss chard into 1-2 inch segments. In a large frying pan, add olive oil and Swiss Chard. Cook the chard until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cut 1 orange into bite size pieces and set aside. Juice the remaining orange. Mix the orange juice (apprx 1/4 cup), the vinegar and the mustard to make a vinaigrette. Whisk until well combined. Mix the vinaigrette into the wilted greens. Add the pine nuts, chickpeas and goat cheese. Serve warm.
Traditionally Prepared Chickpeas: Soak 1 cup of chickpeas with 3 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of whey, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (or acid of choice) overnight but for a minimum of 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans. In a medium sized pot, add 6 cups of water and the drained chickpeas. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40-60 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on length of soaking time and how old the beans are. Taste the beans after 40 minutes and adjust time accordingly from there.
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