No, I didn't spell that wrong. I am actually a fantastic speller if you must know! I take great pride in proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. That being said...many of my posts are written late at night and I think there are crumbs stuck in my keyboard which occasionally makes things stick and hinders speedy typing abilities. So, go easy on my occasional "crumby" typing. Did I also mention that I think the pun is an underappreciated form of humor???
So, back to the age old question, "What's for dinner?" Last night it was, "Hmmm, swiss chard....and lots of it!" I pulled out my trusted, food splattered copy of "From Asparagus to Zucchini" by the Madison Area CSA and flipped to the C-section. (pun intended)
We found a winner! Check out the recipe for Swiss Chard Dal. If you are not familiar with indian cooking, a dal is a type of soup made with lentils, sometimes veggies, and served over rice. This was a huge winner. I will be making it again with whatever veggies happen to be in season. As a note, I used a prepared garlic chili paste that I had in place of the chili pepper. Also, I have a bunch of tomatoes in the fridge that had to be used so I used them in place of the canned tomato. I also did not use the tomato paste to thicken, I was just stingy with the water from the beginning.
Swiss Chard Dal
2 lbs swiss chard
1 fresh red chili pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 cup red lentils, soaked in water 1/2 hour
1 can (15 oz) peeled tomatoes, chopped
canned tomato puree to thicken
salt to taste
hot cooked rice, brown or white
Chop chard stems 1/4 inch pieces; coarsely chop and reserve chard leaves. Boil stems in a littl water in large frying pan or pot. Add chopped chili; cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is soft, then add black pepper, cumin, turmeric, coriander. Simmer, covered 10 minutes. Add chard leaves, stock and lentils; simmer a few minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer 10 minutes. The lentils should be soft, but intact. Add tomato puree; simmer until dal has thickened. Season with salt. Serve over rice.
~Tara, Wash Your Mouth Out Soap Co.
