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Comforting gratin of wilted chard, onion, quinoa, cheese, milk and breadcrumbs.
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Swiss Chard and Quinoa Gratin

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Vegetarian Main Dish
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Susan Pridmore

Ingredients

  • 4 large bunches of swiss chard
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 strips bacon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • lemon juice from ½ medium lemon
  • ¾ cup cooked quinoa
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup grated asiago cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon pepper
  • teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1 ½ cups gremolata breadcrumbs or mix with ground pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Coarsely chop the swiss chard into large pieces, roughly 2" X 2", including their stems and add to the boiling water. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and place in a colander. Place a weight over it, for example some plates or a heavy pot, in order to squeeze as much water out as possible. As a final step you can roll the chard up in a towel and squeeze out remaining water. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Slice the tomatoes in half, toss in 1 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet, with the cut side facing upwards. Roast for 20 minutes, or until slightly dried and puckered around the edges.
  • Slice the bacon into ¼" wide strips, called lardons, and fry until just crispy. Set aside and pour out all of the bacon grease except for 1 tablespoon.
  • Add the butter to the remaining bacon grease, and when melted, add the chopped onion and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Add the bacon lardons, roasted tomatoes, lemon juice, cooked quinoa and chopped chard. Saute for another minute, and set aside.
  • Combine the cheeses, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg together in a medium bowl, and loosely stir into the chard mixture.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spoon the chard - cheese mixture into a baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and serve warm.