Chard Harvest Dinner

My neighbor has constructed a compost bin in our shared yard, and in order for it to be turned, she needs some of the garden space.  Luckily, it was time to harvest the chard and beets which were planted there, so I had tons of fresh-from-the-soil vegetables to cook for dinner.  I made one of my favorite special occasion dishes – Chard and Eggplant Lasagne, again adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  It takes a little extra prep work, but it’s delicious and lasts for days in our small household.

1 box lasagna noodles, or if you’re superwoman/man, freshly made egg pasta

2 cups tomato sauce or diced fresh tomatoes – I had some homemade tomato sauce in the freezer and supplemented the extra with that pretty Trader Joe’s box

1 1/2 lbs eggplant, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the eggplant

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed

1 bunch chard, about 1 1/2 lbs, stems removed and reserved (I also had some beet greens which I added in – any hearty winter green would work in this dish, I think)

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup ricotta

1 egg

3/4 cup grated pecorino Romano

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated

Almost all lasagna recipes start with boiling the noodles, but I find that it’s impossible to keep them unstuck and prepared for the final assembly stage, so I do it a little differently – details of my innovation to follow 🙂

First, if your eggplant is less than garden fresh, you can salt the slices and let them drain for about 20 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400° and lay the slices on a baking sheet.  Roast the eggplant for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping once during the process.  Remove, let cool, and roughly chop, setting aside (after you pop a couple of pieces in your mouth – it’s a wonderful dish on its own).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a wide skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft and golden.  Add the chard and cover, letting it wilt with the moisture in the skillet.  When it’s wilted and wet-looking, remove and roughly chop.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.  Combine the egg and ricotta and lightly beat together.  Add the chard mixture and eggplant, and you’re ready to start assembling.

Now for my cutting edge innovation: I boil the lasagna noodles one layer (4 noodles) at a time, letting the next batch boil as I assemble the other ingredients.  I’m sure other people do this, but when I discovered it, I felt very smart.  So, start the water boiling as you spread about 1/4 of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.  Add the first layer of noodles, followed by 1/3 of the chard mixture, a handful of both cheeses, and begin again when the next batch of noodles are ready.  Layer away, ending with noodles covered with the remaining tomato sauce and a handful of mozzarella.  If you’re not eating right away, you can pop the lasagna in the fridge for later – otherwise, cover with foil and tent it in the center so that the foil doesn’t stick to your precious cheese.  Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes, remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes more or until the top is golden.

I’ll post about the other two dishes later, as all came from the garden and I’m very proud.