Twist on Lasagna...

One of the most common greens that I get from the CSA is Swiss Chard. I wasn't really familiar with Swiss Chard before the CSA, so I didn't really know what to do with it aside from add it to a stir fry. I liked it, but my sister wasn't the biggest fan. So, mid-way through the 2009 season, we decided to see if we could find a better use for Swiss Chard. That's when I stumbled on a vegetable lasagna recipe that called for Swiss Chard instead of Spinach - the first step in the recipe was putting the swiss chard in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. WOW - now, this was the way to eat Swiss Chard! My sister loves the lasagna and we have a new appreciation for our Swiss Chard.

This lasagna recipe isn't a traditional red sauce lasagna, but since making this one, I have used Swiss Chard in my traditional lasagna recipe instead of spinach and it makes the dish so much better! The recipe below is straight out of Deborah Madison's Local Flavors cookbook - if you're a CSA member, this book is a must have!! It was a new one for me, so I didn't even try to mess with it-

Lasagna with Chard, Ricotta & Walnuts (Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets)
Ingredients:
1 cup freshly cracked walnuts
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
2-3 lbs (or bunches) of chard, leaves only
2 tbsp EVOO
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup white wine
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 balls fresh mozzarella (or you can use shredded)
1 1/4 cups milk
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles

--> Boil a lot of water for the chard. Preheat oven to 400 F. Put the walnuts in a pan and toast until they get pale gold in color and start to smell good (~7-10 min). Chop finely and set aside.

--> When the water boils, add some salt and the chard. Boil the chard in the water for ~5 min and then remove and press out most of the water. Reserve the water for Step 4. Then chop the chard as finely as you can.

--> Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add 2/3 of the garlic and then the chard. Cook over medium-high heat turning frequently for a few minutes. Add the wine and allow it to cook down. Turn off heat.

--> Combine the ricotta, Parmesan, and all but 3/4 cup of the mozzarella and the rest of the garlic in a bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup of the chard water, then add the chard. Mix together and season w/salt and pepper as desired.

--> Time to put your lasagna together... Spray a lasagna pan w/PAM and drizzle 1/4 cup of milk on the bottom of the dish. Fit 3 pieces of the lasagna noodles on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup milk, 1/3 of cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup of the walnuts. Add next layer of noodles and repeat with milk, cheese and nuts. Then one more layer of noodles, followed by more milk, cheese, and nuts. Add the remaining mozzarella that was originally set aside.

--> Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve!

Also - this freezes and reheats well... we made a large portion and then ate it for the rest of the summer!