Swiss Chard Strata

Swiss Chard Strata

Served with salad

      Sitting around the table one evening, a very dear friend of mine mentioned that she can't be bothered cooking for just herself.
"Why bother. It's only me eating," she said.
"Only you?" I replied shocked by her comment.
"Yeah and take out is lots easier and faster," she said.
"Only you?" I repeated my voice raising ever so slightly.
      My husband gave me that "let it go glance". That look he gives me when he knows I am about to explode or implode when someone makes a comment that triggers my lectures. I tried to hold back. I really did but like Mount St. Helens, I erupted.
"Who in the world is more important to cook for than yourself? I asked but did not wait for an answer. I just continued spouting every food cliche that entered my mind. "Food is the fuel for your body. It is what feeds your brain. It is the jewel of life. You have to take care of yourself first before you can help others."
       On and on I went for at least ten minutes. Did she listen? Did she care? Was she still  my friend? The next day she called me at dinner time.
" Guess what I'm doing?" she asked.
" Stepping out of a fast food restaurant," I answered with a laugh.
" Making Swiss chard and mushroom strata," she said.
I grinned like the Cheshire cat.

And here is the recipe. Delicious, nutritious and naturally easy to make. Strata are like a quiche but bread is used rather than crust. The secret to this recipe is slice very thin, chop very small, and saute very gently on lower heat. Enjoy.

About a six inch piece of baguette cut into small cubes. Bake these in a 400 degree oven until dry and golden. I used whole wheat bread.

In a skillet, saute over low heat until golden one small onion chopped. Cover but stir often. This will take about 3 minutes, if that.

Add 1 cup mushrooms sliced, 1 clove garlic chopped, 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped, and a bit of salt and pepper. Cover but stir often. Cook about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. 

Add finely chopped Swiss chard and cook until wilted. About 3 minutes. Stir often.

In a small bowl mix together 4 large eggs with 11/2 cups milk. Add 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese or cheese of your choosing.

In a quiche dish or pie dish, put the Swiss chard mixture and pour the egg mixture over top. Sprinkle top with paprika if you have it. Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden and set in the center. About 20 to 25  minutes but check after 15 minutes.

There's Nothing To Eat

Dear Friends,

I will admit that this is just another way of saying I have nothing in my fridge. Well, nothing is somewhat of an exaggeration but we have all been there and you know what I mean.  I just came home late after work and a meeting and a dog walk so I am really really hungry. I had not a clue what I felt like eating but I knew it had to be quick.  I  started opening drawers, refrigerator and cabinets. I found capellini pasta,  mushrooms, parsley and cilantro.  I spotted some small grape tomatoes on the counter. That's a start I thought. I also knew that I still had garlic and onions on hand in the root cellar.

Better Than Gold

I gathered my ingredients and began washing and chopping. I sauteed my one sliced onion and three cloves of garlic first for a few minutes. Then tossed in 8 oz of sliced mushrooms ( no stems). I let this cook until the mushrooms looked good enough to eat. Then I stirred in the handful of chopped parsley and cilantro. I dropped about a handful or two of the grape tomatoes. on top and waited for them to soften.  Then I gently broke them open by pressing a fork on them. Some I left whole for appeal.

The Zing of Capers

Still I felt something lacking. It needed zing. Again I went to  the fridge and looked on my door for ideas. I noticed the capers and recalled my good friend Eileen adding these to one of her delicious dishes. What the heck I decided, I'll give it a go.  So I poured in a bit of the juice and a tablespoon of capers, WOW! I topped it all with some pepper and a bit of salt.











I cooked the pasta al dente and stirred in a bit of EVOO. Then I mixed the pasta with the above. I tried a forkful and all I can say is this:

AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS

I  ATE  EVERY  SINGLE  BITE OF IT AND LEFT NONE FOR MY HUSBAND.

There I admitted it. It was that delicious, I never even realized how much I ate. I am guilty of gluttony. But I did cook him up some of the frozen shrimp I found stuffed in the back of the freezer with capers and soy sauce and tossed it with some capellini. Between you and me, it was not the same. However, I did promise to make my yummy meal again for him next week, especially since I can't stop talking about what a great dinner I had. Oh and if you can think of a name for this dish, please forward it to comments and I may just use it in my book.

AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS

RSVP

jude