Swiss Chard & Mushrooms with Fettuccine

By now, you've probably seen the photo of the recent birthday dinner, and you've read about the poor results on that batch of homemade pasta. Regardless of the bumps in the road that I encountered, this dish is still worth making and will stand on its own even without the scallops.

About Swiss Chard: While the name is puzzling, since there is nothing Swiss about this vegetable, don't be puzzled by how to use it in your cooking. This is typically a spring vegetable; once temperatures reach 85 F, the harvest season comes to an end. Luckily, however, due to our mild Texas winters, this vegetable shows up frequently from Fall to Spring at local farmer's markets. These dark green, large, ruffled leaves with its brightly colored, ribbed stems look a lot like dolled-up spinach. However, this delicious green is actually a very close relative to the beet.  The leaves hold up better to cooking than do those of spinach and the stems have their own delicious taste and crisp texture. It's like getting two vegetables in one. When buying chard, look for a bunch with small, crisp, bright leaves and avoid those with yellowing leaves, tears or holes. Chard is best when it is wilted, steamed or sauteed - even microwaved. As with other green leafy vegetables, chard is especially well-paired with butter, lemon, garlic, pine nuts and mushrooms. 

Here's what I did - without the homemade pasta.(I'll deal with that another day.)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 C chopped shallots (or green onions in a pinch)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8-10 small mushrooms sliced (white or crimini)
• 1 lb. Swiss Chard (wash this thoroughly as it tends to hold onto the gritty soil it is grown in); remove stems from leafy part; chop stems into 1 inch pieces and rough chop the leaves
• 1/2 lb. uncooked fettuccine
• 1/4 C. shredded Parmesean cheese (the real deal; not the powder in the green can)
• cracked black pepper - to taste

1. Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. 
2. While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet that has a lid.  Add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until tender and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard, reduce heat and cover for about 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chard over so that uncooked leaves are on the bottom and wilted leaves are on top. Cover and cook until completely wilted, about another 3 minutes.
3. As soon as your pasta has finished cooking, drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 C of the pasta water. Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add the chard mixture and the reserved liquid.
4. Toss to mix and serve; top each individual dish with some shredded parmesean and pepper.

Happy Cooking!

sld

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