The winter garden did really well this year with minimal care thanks to record rains in San Diego. Everyone on my block got a huge bag of lettuce at least once this season, and the cabbage, brussels sprouts and artichokes are filling our bellies.
The back bed in the picture below is filled to the brim with chard and beets, and however many stems I harvest, it seems like I wake up to a full bed each morning. Something must be done! When my sister was in town, we had some friends over for dinner and presented a whole chard-themed meal, Iron Chef style. Allez cuisine! This first dish wasn’t a part of that meal, but it certainly qualifies.
In addition to mountains of chard, I had a sad packet of puff pastry that was waiting to be used for something, anything! I found a recipe for a spanikopita-esque casserole and adapted it to make this stunner.
Chard and Potato Strudel
inspired by this filo-dough-based recipe in Vegetarian Times
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion, diced
8oz mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 large bunch chard leaves, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 package frozen puff pastry, thawed but kept moist (under saran wrap, under a damp towel works well)
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with the sour cream, ricotta and salt. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onion until golden. Add the mushrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes and sun-dried tomatoes and saute about 3 minutes more, until the mushrooms are starting to soften. Add the chard and cook, covered for about 5 minutes more, until the chard is wilted. Stir the mixture into your mashed potatoes and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 9×12-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
To assemble: Lay out the puff pastry in a long rectangle. Spread the potato chard mixture in a line down the length of the rectangle. To make folding easier, don’t lay the filling down the very center, but set it off a bit. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and pinch the pieces of puff pastry together. If you have too much puff pastry hanging out on the edges without filling, cut it away and make adorable decorations. Cut some vent lines in the strudel to allow steam to escape during cooking.
Bake about 30 minutes, or until golden.
I hope to share more of the chard showcase soon, and it looks like Beet Battle is next up:
