Mussels with Chard and Tomatoes

A quick stew of mussels with onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Note: Heat-seekers like me can try adding a dash of cayenne or chili flakes to the onions, peppers and stems as they're cooking for a little spice.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch Swiss or rainbow chard, ends trimmed and stems cut into 1-inch pieces and leaves into 1-inch ribbons (about 4 cups of ribbons)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch-thick strips
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ½-inch-thick strips
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 pounds mussels, debearded and scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• Crusty bread

Procedures

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chard stems, onion and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften enough to break apart with a wooden spoon or potato masher, raising the heat to bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomatoes have broken down, about 6 minutes more.
   
2. Add the mussels and the chard, season with salt and pepper, cover, and allow to cook until most of the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any that didn’t open. Stir in the lemon juice, then ladle into bowls and top with parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Steamed Fish with Chard and Potato Hash

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 20 minutes, total time 20 minutes

• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 bunch rainbow or swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons (about 4 cups, leaves and stems kept separate)
• Pinch of dried red chile flakes
• 3/4 cup homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken stock
• 4 cod fillets
• 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
• ½ cup roughly chopped parsley

Procedures

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until they begin to color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions, chard stems, and red chile flakes, and season with salt and pepper. If onions or chard begin to stick, add two tablespoons of chicken stock and continue cooking. Cook until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes longer. Add the remaining stock and fold in the chard leaves until slightly wilted, stirring to combine.
   
2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and carefully place the fish fillets on top of the hash, cover, and cook until the fish has cooked through and flakes with pulled with a fork, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley. Transfer to serving plates and serve immediately.

Swiss Chard and Spinach Ravioli Nudi in Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

serves serves 4 to 6, active time 1 1/2 hours, total time 1 1/2 hours

• Ravioli Nudi
• 1 pound (455 g) swiss chard, stems removed and reserved for another use, leaves shredded
• 8 ounces (225 g) fresh spinach leaves
• 12 ounces (340 g) fresh sheep's milk or well-drained cow's milk ricotta cheese
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (85 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (30 g) flour, plus more for coating the nudi
• 3 cups (720 g) Simple Tomato Sauce (below), heated to a simmer
•  
• Simple Tomato Sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juice
• Fine sea salt
• 5 large fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn

Procedures

1. Rinse the shredded chard leaves in cold water. Place the leaves, with the water still clinging to them, into a large saucepan, cover, and set the pan over medium heat. Cook the chard, tossing it from time to time, for 12 to 15 minutes, until tender and most of the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat, and using tongs, transfer the chard to a colander and let it cool. Rinse out the saucepan and return it to the stove.
   
2. Rinse the spinach leaves in cold water. Place the leaves, with the water still clinging to them, into the saucepan, cover, and set the pan over medium heat. Cook the spinach, tossing it from time to time with tongs, for 5 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat and transfer to the colander with the chard to cool.
   
3. When the greens are cool enough to handle, squeeze as much excess water from them as you can. Transfer them to a cutting board and chop finely. You should end up with about 1 packed cup of freshly chopped greens weighing between 7 and 8 ounces (200 and 225 g).
   
4. Place the greens in a large bowl and add the ricotta, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a generous grinding of pepper, the nutmeg, the Parmigiano, and the egg yolks. Mix together gently but thoroughly. Sprinkle in the flour, and gently fold it into the mixture.
   
5. Pour some flour into a small shallow bowl. Have ready a large rimmed baking sheet lined with waxed paper or dusted with flour. With your hands, pinch off a piece of the greens mixture, form it into a ball about the size of a chestnut, roll it in the flour, and set it on the baking sheet. Continue to form the nudi until you have used all of the greens mixture.
   
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt generously. Carefully drop in 8 to 10 nudi. Within 1 or 2 minutes, they will begin to float to the surface. Continue to cook the nudi for another 5 to 6 minutes, until they have floated to the surface and are puffed up. With a large skimmer, remove the nudi and transfer them to a warmed serving bowl. Spoon about 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the nudi and mix very gently. Continue to cook the nudi until you have cooked them all. When they have all been added to the serving bowl, spoon additional sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmigiano. Serve immediately.
   
7. To make the tomato sauce: Warm the garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to press down on the garlic to release its flavor. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic begins to sizzle. Don't let it brown. Carefully pour in the tomatoes and their juice (the oil will splatter) and stir to coat with the oil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently, stirring from time to time, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the oil is pooling on the surface. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Tate and add more salt if you like.