I knew the day would come when I'd be writing about a frittata and my Swiss chard. First, about the chard, it is a perennial. Didn't know this until planting it myself this year. I came across an article about it when I was panicked over the fact that I had just laid out three plots of eight foot areas in my backyard and simply dropped seeds, of which many I had absolutely no clue as to how or what I might see once they peeped out of the ground. Certainly, I have seen the chard before and have also cooked with it. It is an entirely different thing to pluck it from your own dirt, from the fruits of your own labor. I had no idea how easy this little vegetable is to grow. Shamelessly, I shared one of my chard plants with my girlfriend--put it in a pot without a leaf on it, and took it to her with a note saying, trust me, this will produce foliage for your eating pleasure--seriously, it was just fuscia stalks! But it is growing. Chard asks so little and gives so much, I think I am in love.
So we had this awesome frittata last night--with the Swiss chard--it turned out amazing. Let me tell you how I became inspired to create this. The book, Vegan Brunch, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz sits on my self along with two other vegan cookbooks she wrote: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and most notably, Veganomicon. As the title says, here you have a cookbook on brunch stuffs. It is filled with tasty, new ideas on vegan cooking--a recipe for making your own vegan sausage--and this is sausage you will want to know how to make. I will make is again and post shortly. But for dinner last night, I went for my Swiss chard. Then, I had an old bed and breakfast book from Missouri and I came across an amazing idea--make the crust of the quiche or whatever out of sauteed mushrooms and onions with a little cracker thrown in to help with binding. It was a delightful and tasty meal if I don't say so myself. Accompanying the frittata--we had diner taters, complements of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook--they were so easy. These potatoes are now my fall back, go-to item for feeding my husband something I am not "quite" sure he will like/love--he's of some Irish, so any potato-type food stuffs works, right?
Swiss Chard Frittata with Tofu and Mushroom Crust
Make the crust first:
1 package of button mushrooms or little portobellos
1 onion diced
5 or six saltines--crushed
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning--just to spice it up
Heat a medium pan with the oil. Add the onion, let cook for about three minutes. Then add the mushrooms, step away from the stove now and let those babies cook a bit. No turning and tossing--they will release their juices and that is what you want. They will shrink a bit, too.
When the mushrooms are browned a bit, remove from heat. Add crushed crackers.
Toss around a bit to make sure you have a nice stickiness.
Now make the frittata:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil a pie plate--8 or 9 inch. (Your crust will not likely reach the top or sides, this is okay, you will see why.) Take your cooked mushroom crust mixture and pat it down into the pie plate. It's okay if it does not make it to the rim.
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
4 large cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped--about 15 leaves
fresh oregano--like two stems, chopped up
fresh basil--about one stem, leaves chopped
1 package tofu, drained over the sink
1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Amino or Shoyu
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 nutritional yeast
vegan Parmesan cheese (for topping)
2 green onions, chopped up (for garnish)
1 tomato chopped up (for garnish)
Season to taste--won't need much salt at all
Heat oil in a medium pan. Add garlic and cook for about two minutes over medium heat. Then add the chopped chard. Watch the pan so the chard does not burn, but lightly toss the chard. It will begin to wilt. Once all of the chard looks nice and wilted, remove from heat. Take the drained tofu and squeeze that water out of it. Now crumble it over a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients through the nutritional yeast. Mix well. Take the chard mixture and add it to the bowl. Pour into the pie plate--top the chard with a couple of shakes of the vegan Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes or so. Take it out of the oven and let it cool, or set for about five minutes. Top your slices with chopped green onions and some tomato. It will be awesome!
Diner Taters
2 russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3/4 cup peanut oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Add the potatoes to a large pot of water, bring to a boil--for about five minutes, not too much longer. Drain. Now, heat oil in a pan with high sides. I even just add oil to the pot I just drained the potatoes in--AFTER I dry it! Add the potatoes to the pan--enough to cover the bottom. Watch heat level, but get the oil hot--with your setting on medium high. Do not move the potatoes or turn them over for about seven minutes per side, they should be nice and golden.
Drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with chili powder and serve.
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