May 22, 2008

“COOK”ing up some “ArCHARDleta”!


I must say, I was surprised that Mr. Potato Head won! Both those guys were really great, but I figured the 12-13 year-old Bratz bunch had the most stamina for dialing in votes for Archuleta.

Can someone tell me what’s the deal with the wallet chains on those two? Is someone going to steal David Cook’s hair gel? Or David Archuleta’s lunch money? Really, who wears those outfits? Besides that guy down at Napa Auto Parts.

I guess I’m still miffed my favorite, that hunk of burning Australian love got voted off. His duet with the Irish chick was AWESOME!


For your viewing pleasure



Anyhoo. My CSA vegetables for the week are making a big green scene in my refrigerator (Green garlic! Lamb’s quarters! Spinach! Japanese Turnips!) so I wanted to use the very beautiful and lush Swiss Chard….my peeps at the farm said it was the best they had grown and boy, was this bunch of ever gorgeous. This recipe is from Gourmet, Feb 2008. It’s very nice, although my husband isn’t all that crazy about any hint of sweetness in greens. But he still calls email “internet letters”, so let’s just consider the source.


“Swiss Chard with Raisins and Almonds”




Serves 4

½ large onion (I used 2 large shallots), sliced lengthwise, thinly
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
2 lb Swiss chard, center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (that’s nonsense – chop up the ribs and add them to the sautéing shallots!)
½ cup golden raisins (I used regular, but I see the wisdom in golden)
½ cup water (use a little less – the chard gives up a lot of moisture)
¼ cup coarsely chopped almonds with skins

1. Cook onion with ¼ teaspoon salt in a 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 5-6 quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring until softened. Sprinkle with paprika and stir, cooking for another minute.
2. Add chard in batches, stirring down, until wilted, then add raisins and water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt.
3. Cook almonds in remaining oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle almonds over chard.


FLASH!!! I got a very nice award from JerseyGirlCooks! Thank you so very much!

It is the "Arte y Pico Award"....!



I will be pondering who I'll pass this on to in my next post. Posting will be non-food related for the next couple of days...it's a busy busy weekend. I hope everyone has a terrific 3 day holiday!

15 comments:

Peter M said...

Smoke paprika makes everything good, even bitter greens!

It's a colourful plate and a nice way to add some leafage to one's diet.

BTW...who's the dude?

Deborah said...

I was surprised too - I thought for sure David A. would win for the same reason.

This dish sounds delicious!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Sorry posted last comment on wrond id. (I'm with your hubby...This internet thing is so hard!)
Anywho I'm with you on who should have won and your greens look YUMMY, too!

Candy

Catherine Wilkinson said...

peter,
that's my future husband, Michael Johns...he was voted off earlier. But he was the best. Now I have to get my actual husband and michael's wife to agree to this.

deborah,
surprising, eh? Try these greens, very nice with roasted chicken

candy!
you know it, girl! And try these dish...maybe I'd use pine nuts next time.

Emily said...

Yay David Cook! Represent.

Who dressed those two? Seriously. Did you notice David A. was wearing a shirt with an anchor on it? *shudder*

The greens looks tasty. Now I have to go check my internet mailbox for internet letters.

Prudy said...

Wow! The chard looks delicious. I'm jealous of what you've got in your fridge. Mine looks a little bare at the moment, but I'll soon fix that! Congrats on the award from Jersey Girl Cooks.

toontz said...

I have been looking for an interesting recipe for chard...I think this one is it (I like the sweetness factor). My hubby and your hubby are both on the same internet wavelength...it’s downright scary sometimes!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love all the veggies you guys get in your CSA boxes. I finally found someone here who has the same concept..Urban Harvest...very reasonable:D

Leah said...

Catherine, I found you on Prudy's blog.....I love your that you are is in to Idol as my family! My daughters call young David "David Enchilada"! I thought he would win too. Even though I'm a rocker girl, I did really like David A. He just had a sweetness about him.......Michael Johns, well; he was just plain hunky!

I'm bookmarking your blog as we speak. ;-)

Heather said...

Whoa, that chard is gorgeous. So's the guy (who is it? Is he from American Idol or sommat?). I want to eat that (chard/guy) with a big plate of pasta. Yummeh.

zlamushka said...

:-) Your blog is so funny, I love it. Smoked paprika IS da stuff!
You seem to have fun cooking everything. I am hosting Tried And Tasted Event, we re cooking Carribean this month - up for the challenge? It is about cooking from other blogs, a lot of fun :-)

Thistlemoon said...

I am so out of it - I have no idea who these people are that you are talking about - boy, I feel dumb!

I love love love swiss chard though! We always make it the same way - my gramps' swiss chard and potatoes recipe, but this looks super yums!

Catherine Wilkinson said...

emiline,
David Cook is very talented, but still has a big head. I mean, literally. It's weird.

prudy,
I just love the veggies I'm getting from the CSA...it's almost overwhelming. Love your blog!

toontz,
oh no! you have one too!? Mine doesn't even know how to check vm on his cell...(maybe that's so he won't have to hear me raving?)

val,
I'm so glad you found that! I just love my farm...they are the best people. So dedicated. And I'm amazed at the quality!

leah,
i'm going to visit you now! Thanks! I need to just admit I'm a dork and love AI!

heather,
what's with you?? No American Idol? Come on, you know you want to! That's Michael Johns..kinda like a Michael Hutchence (sp?) without the drugs.

zlamushka,
I'm on my way to check it out...thanks!

jenn,
it's because you're a newlywed and sholdn't be watching that crap anyway! Maybe in a few...lol.
American Idol is a guilty, silly pleasure. That pic is of Michael Johns, super talented, and well, a beautiful man.

Tracy said...

Well, I was happy for David Cook. I liked him for the beginning.

It's funny to see that you are getting CSA deliveries. Mine hasn't started yet. I'd be surprised if farmers even have much in the ground at this point. When I'm looking for recipes for my CSA bounty, I'll know where to come!

By the way, I went to a demo the other day and they made a pesto with the green garlic. Yummy!

 
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"The Dish" by Catherine Wilkinson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.