Sunday, July 1, 2012

Creamed spinach... or not

I wanted creamed spinach.  However, I was lacking every single one of the required ingredients.  I could get close, though, if I got creative.  Ed was quite skeptical, but in the end, the curried coconut creamed swiss chard was quite delicious, and even got a stamp of approval in the Ed-ratings.  In fact, it was so good that I'll probably make it again some day, although maybe with spinach, or beet greens, instead of swiss chard.  Basically, I replaced the cream with coconut milk, since we did have a can of that open in the fridge, and then added spices and things, using swiss chard instead of spinach.  The end result was basically a Thai-flavored red curry with only one veggie in it, but it was sure tasty.


I admit, not the most appetizing of photos.  Actually, that looks gross.  Be prepared.

Curried coconut creamed swiss chard
Made enough for 2
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed and chopped very finely
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1" cube of fresh ginger, diced
olive oil
1/2 can coconut milk, well-mixed
1 tbs Thai red curry powder
salt to taste

Put some oil in the pan, heat it up, then cook the onion for 15 minutes or so, until it's starting to caramelize.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until just toasted, another 5 minutes.  Add the chard, and the coconut milk, and the curry powder and salt.  Taste. adjust. taste. adjust. taste.

Cook another 10-15 minutes until the chard leaves are soft and silky, and infused with curry and coconut flavor.  Serve!

Find something else useful to do with the stems.  They're plenty edible.




We served this with the sauteed chard stems on top, and some meatballs and rice.  Pretty tasty lil' meal.

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