Swiss Chard and beans was one of my Italian grandmother’s stand-by dishes. I wouldn’t even call it a recipe since she simply assembled ingredients from my grand-dad’s enormous garden and those tender stalks were always there for the picking, right up into late fall. It was a dish she brought with her in memory from her native Abruzzo in Italy and we all relished it.
So when I saw another take on this dish from the book “Where I Come From” by Aaron Sanchez, I had to give his version a try. The book on the other hand was not a clear winner in my estimation although it was the February/March selection of the group "Cook the Books".
Usually I can tell right away when I open a new book whether I’m going to enjoy it or not. My reaction to this newly released biop was not as clear. It contained interesting tidbits but also lots of swearing and trivial information. I read it because it was this month’s selected reading for the food-writing Cook the Books group to which I belong.
In the book, Aaron talks about his mother, New York City chef/restauranteur Zarela Martinez, as a source of inspiration. I have met on a number of occasions and feel like she’s a real chef with restaurants and cookbooks to her credit.. Transplanted from Mexico to NYC, after training in various schools and cities, she has a pistol-sharp wit and her own unique take on Mexican cuisine that exudes a strong Spanish influence. This has in turn influenced Aaron’s own cooking.
A passage that impressed me from the book describes Aaron‘s cooking inspirations. He says, “When I come up with a new dish, a combination of hand-picked ingredients that I’d invented and written down, researched and painstakingly put together with meticulous care, or even something I’d come up with on the fly – and it worked perfectly in the plate and on the palate - every single one of those memories is a moment of magic. Of fulfilment. Of pride and of purpose”. Perhaps this is what drives him to continue to pursue cooking even as a nationally-known TV figure.
His Swiss Chard and Beans is made in a Cuban style based on a recipe from a trailblazer of Cuban cuisine, Nitza Villapol. It’s reminiscent of the Italian Swiss Chard & Beans that was a go-to recipe of my grandmother’s and passed down through the generations. I’ve included both recipes in this post and readers can decide which appeals to them the most. I definitely have my own favorite (guess which)
This is my contribution to the current selection from the Cook the Books reading/cooking group. I thank this cycle’s organizer, Hawaii’s Claudia of Honey From Rock. Thanks for the organizing Claudia!
Cuban Swiss Chard, White Beans and Chorizo
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss Chard
2 tbs olive oil
4 oz chorizo (or substitute your favorite sausage)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs oregano, choppe
1 tsp smoked paprika
2/3 cup dry white beans, soaked & drained (or ¾ can prepared beans)
1 ½ qt chicken stock, room temperature
4 oz cooked Spanish chorizo, diced
2 bay leaves
1 large Yukon gold potato, diced
1 large turnip, peeled & diced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Preparation
Trim off the thick Swiss chard stems and cut into ½ in dice. Reserve the delicate greens.
In a heavy pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the first bttch of chorizo, breaking up into dmall chunks and fry until the fat has rendered and the sausage has crisped. Stir in the onion & salt and saute until the onion sofrtens, about 5 minute. Stir in garlic, oregano & paprika. Toast 1 minute.
Add the beans, chicken stock, the fried Spanish chorizo& bay leaves. Bring to medium heat till simmering, then turn heat down to low-medium and allow ingredients to meld. If using canned beans, this is 10 minutes. If dried beans, allow 40 minutes.
Add potatoes & turnips, chard stems and continue to cook till vegetables are tender. After no more than 20 minutes, add reserved (torn) Swiss chard leaves & allow to wilt. To serve, add parsley. I served it over cooked white rice.
Note: It’s not clear why two additions of chorizo are called for, although they indeed are two varieties of chorizo sausage. I will let the reader decide if this differentiation is worth the effort.
Abruzzo Style Swiss Chard with Cannellini Beans
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 medium chopped onion
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
1-2 pinches dried red chilies
1 can cannellini beans
a few splashes good chicken stock
a few splashes extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Fry onion till tender, then add garlic to the pan and continue to fry. Set aside when softened. Cut stems from the Swiss chard leaves, and cut leaves into 2-3 inch horizontal slices. Add to pan and steam chard in a small amount of water in a covered pan. When wilted add other ingredients but reserve leaves till the end. Add leaves and steam till leaves are wilted, just a few minutes. Remove from pan, drain excess liquid and serve.
