1 lb chard (or kale, or collards), ribs and stems removed and cleaned3 tbsp olive oil1 c (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots1 c (5 ounces) chopped celery (fairly optional)1 c (4 1/4 ounces) chopped white onions, about 3 medium2 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 cup sherry or dry white wine2 15-ounce cans (about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed, or cook your own from scratch2 cups broth of preferred type1 cup pureed tomatoesSalt and freshly ground black pepper3 thyme sprigs1 bay leaf1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
A few toasted bread slices, poached or fried eggs, or grated Parmesan or Romano to serve (optional)
This recipe is a keeper. We took many liberties with the Smitten Kitchen recipe (like omitting the cheese and the celery, and using sherry instead of white wine) and it was still delicious for dinner and lunch the next day.
Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard, or your preferred hearty green, for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.
Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute for 15 minutes. Try not to brown them.
Add sherry (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is, drizzled with sherry vinegar (This step is worth it, make sure you do this).
Another great recipe from Smitten Kitchen
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This recipe was most recently featured in
Boston Organics Newsletter No. 17 of 2013.