My garden this summer consisted of several different organic vegetables; some of our favorite greens in the garden this year were the Italian Kale and Rainbow Swiss Chard. Kale is a member of the cabbage family, but it does not grow a head like cabbage, it is a leafy plant, but the flavors are very similar (tastier) than cabbage. The kale that we grew in our garden this year was a deep green/purple color and a flat leaf, not the curly leaf as found in most grocery stores. Our kale did survive the winter storm and the cold weather, so I cut the few leaves that were still in the garden for this delicious stew. Swiss Chard is a member of the beet family and it is a beautiful green leaf with reddish-purple, yellowish veins and stalk. It is delicious in soups, salads or as a roll stuffed with rice...mmmm, delicious!
Kale and Swiss Chard are very nutritious and known as a great source to have in your diet during the winter as it is high in vitamins A, C, folic acid, calcium and iron; all the wonderful vitamins we need during the winter season.
This is a very easy stew to make and the prep time took me about 10 minutes. My family loves these green vegetables and this recipe sure complimented the greens well!
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| An excellent winter stew filled with lots of great vitamins! |
RECIPE:
Cannellini, Chicken, Swiss Chard and Kale Stew
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 chicken breast, cut into bite sizes (1 inch)
3-4 leaves of kale, chopped into bite sizes (1 inch)
3-4 leaves of swiss chard, chopped into bite sizes (1 inch)
1 garlic clove, minced
32 ounces of chicken stock (preferably organic)
28 ounces plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped
2 (15 oz) cans of cannellini or fresh made cannellini (see recipe below for fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
(Chef notes on herbs: I used fresh herbs and used approximately 1-2 tablespoons of each after they were chopped finely)
2-4 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken stew
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350*degrees
In an 8 quart oven proof soup pot; on medium low heat, add the olive oil (evoo) and saute the onion until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tomato paste to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and return the heat to low. Stir frequently and adjust flavor of soup with salt or herbs after 15 minutes, to allow the chicken to cook thoroughly. Place the oven proof soup pot with lid in the oven and cook for 45 - 50 minutes. Return to stove top; on low heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (at a time) until the stew thickens to your liking. You may not need to add the tomato paste, but we like our stew slightly thick. Serve with your favorite bread.
Yields 6-8 servings
Chef Notes: I used a ceramic bean pot to cook this stew and it turned out delicious. I love using my ceramic pots to cook all sorts of stews in the oven. If you own one and it is stove top safe as well as oven safe, I would recommend to use it; the flavors turn out tastier.
RECIPE:
Cannellini Beans
1 pound dry Cannellini beans
4 fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, whole
water
Soak beans overnight. Drain beans and discard water. Place beans, sage, olive oil garlic and 12 cups of water in a soup pot. Cover with the lid and cook on medium-low heat for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until tender. When beans are tender, drain the beans and store in the refrigerator until needed for stew or in a salad.
Chef notes:
This recipe makes more beans than needed for stew. It is always great to have fresh beans on hand. If you want to freeze the beans, be sure to keep the liquid they were cooked in and when cooled, place them in a freezer proof container (I use Pyrex) or a ziplock freezer bag with liquid. If you use a freezer bag, be sure to seal with a little air in the bag, so that there is room for expansion in the freezing process for the liquid. Place the bag flat in the freezer on a sheet pan, until fully frozen; then remove sheet pan. Having a sheet pan underneath the bag will collect any liquid if you did not seal it properly.
Buon Appetito!
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