Bietola

Fresh greens in the middle of winter? Why not?  Here is last year’s Swiss chard (bietola) still growing in my garden on January 21, 2011.  No, this wasn’t inside a cold frame or hoop house – they were buried under dead maple leaves and snow!  I was able to pick this whole colander’s worth of lovely, fresh bietola in the middle of winter! 

Swiss Chard is a relative of the beet, and its origins have been traced back to Sicily. This vegetable is very high in fiber, protein, and vitamins and is very versatile in the kitchen.There are many other varieties available, including a white-stalked Italian heirloom called “Lucullus,” named after the Roman general Lucius Lucullus, c. 117 BC–57/56 BC, who was renowned for his vast gardens, the Gardens of Lucullus, where the Borghese Gardens are now located.

In this photo, the variety with white stalks is called “Perpetual Spinach,” though it is not spinach at all. It is a relative of chard also known as “leaf beet chard,” and can be used just like chard (or spinach!). The orange-stemmed variety is “Orange Chiffon Swiss Chard,” from www.kitchengardenseeds.com, and the magenta-stalked variety is called “Magenta Sunset Swiss Chard,” from www.johnnyseeds.com. I love the vibrant colors of these two chards, and their leaves are tender, especially when picked at this small size.




Cultivation:


Chard is extremely easy to grow. Sow the seed in well-drained, loamy soil, about ½” deep, about 3” apart, in rows about 12” apart. If you follow the square foot gardening method, you can plant 4 per square foot. Chard usually takes about 7 to 10 days to germinate and 50+ days until it is ready to harvest. It is a “cut and come again” vegetable, meaning that you can harvest some of the leaves of each plant and leave the rest to photosynthesize and keep the plant alive so that it will grow more leaves. As you can see from my photo, chard will sometimes last through the winter, especially if it is protected under leaves or a frost blanket. If you have any questions about how to grow chard, feel free to email me at Bettina@italianclubofsaltlake.com. I try to respond to all emails within several days’ time.


Ricetta (recipe): Chard with raisins, shallots, & pancetta


Cooking Tip: In most recipes using chard, I chop the thicker stalks into small pieces and cook the stems first for a few minutes, before adding the shredded or torn leaves. This is because the stalks take several minutes longer to cook.


Ingredients:


1 T olive oil
Several slices pancetta (about 2 or 3 T chopped)
1 large or 2 small shallots (about 2 T chopped)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ cup raisins (I prefer golden raisins, but any raisins will work)
1 large bunch of chard (stems chopped and leaves shredded, keep separate)
¼ c. water
Salt and pepper


Directions:

Heat skillet. Add olive oil. Then add pancetta and brown.  Add shallots and garlic and cook for several minutes.

  



Add raisins and chard stems.





Then add the water and deglaze the pan to scrape up the browned bits.

Cover the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes until stems are tender.



Add torn leaves and toss well with other ingredients in the skillet.
Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until leaves wilt and are tender.

  
 



Season with pepper. Add salt if you like (pancetta is salty, so you may not wish to add salt).
Here the chard is served with baked salmon and lovely crusty bread with olive oil. 
This recipe serves 2 to 4 people.

Where to buy seeds:

www.rareseeds.com, www.southernexposure.com

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-50-swiss-chard.aspx



The 2011 Gardening Season Begins - Let's Talk Garlic!

Though the garden is sleeping and covered in snow where I live, the garlic and shallots are planted and will be ready to push up through their blanket of straw come early spring.  Nothing says "Italian cooking" to me more than garlic!  Garlic serves as the base layer of flavor for so many Italian dishes, whether it's something tomato-based, seafood-related, vegetable-only, a roasted meat... It's hard to imagine making something Italian without having some garlic on-hand. 

That's why, in my garden, I always plant lots and lots of garlic!  It stores well, and it's there whenever I need it all winter long.  I'd like to share some tips on selecting garlic for your garden, along with one of my favorite recipes using this indispensible flavoring. 

Not all garlic is created equal.  First of all, did you know that most garlic that's consumed in America comes from China?  If you're buying your garlic at the regular grocery store and it isn't labeled "local," it's likely been imported from China.  I'd personally rather consume garlic that's grown closer to home and with more oversight regarding pesticides, fertilizers, etc.  So, for the past ten years or so, I've just been growing it in my own backyard. 

Here is my garlic patch as it looks today, buried under straw and snow, in the middle of January.  In this single garlic patch, there are three different types:  a Rocambole, a Marbled Purple Stripe, and a Porcelain. Each type has its own individual characteristics with regard to size, color, & number of cloves per head, flavor (hot vs sweet, nutty, etc.), best use (raw vs. saute'), and how long they will keep after harvest. 

Within each type, there are many varieties or cultivars.  For example, French Rose, Italian Purple, Russian Red, and Spanish Roja are four different varieties of Rocambole garlic.  Rocambole-type garlics in general tend to be delicious raw, but they don't store as well as Porcelains (which many find too hot to eat raw).  And you thought garlic was just garlic!

My favorite garlic mail-order company is Ronniger's, which has now forged with Potato Garden (yes, they sell seed potatoes, too!), http://www.potatogarden.com/.  If you're interested in shopping for garlic, check out all the varieties on their website.  Another great source is Seed Savers Exchange, http://www.seedsavers.com/.  Most of the growing garlic sold by Seed Savers is Certified Organic, and they have a selection to make your mouth water:  Bogatyr, Chesnok Red, Georgian Fire, Persian Star, Lorz Italian, and more.  Don't the names alone make you want to start a garlic garden? 

The time to choose and order your growing garlic is in early fall for most of the United States.  Garlic must be planted sometime between about mid-September and mid-November, and certainly before the ground freezes.  When you receive your garlic, split the heads apart into cloves and choose the biggest and hardiest-looking cloves to plant.  Spacing and depth requirements are usually provided in the package from the shipper.  Once you have planted your garlic, cover it with a generous layer of weed-free hay or straw to prevent it from freezing over the winter.  To keep my straw from blowing away, I cover it with plastic trays and pin them down with metal stakes or top them with a few heavy rocks. 

When Old Man Winter retreats and warmer days arrive, usually in early March, it will be time to remove the layer of mulch.  I'm always surprised to see that the first green shoots have beaten me to it, and they are already poking up through the straw!  They know when it's time!  By about mid-June, you'll have garlic ready for harvest.  Stay tuned to this blog, because when Spring arrives, I'll be posting pictures of the sprouting garlic, and I'll describe then how to tend and harvest your garlic. 

In the meantime, here is one of my favorite winter recipes using garlic and another winter favorite - kale.  It's more delicious than you think and definitely worth trying!

Kale with Garlic & Herbs

Ingredients: 

1 to 2 bunches of kale, tough stems removed, and chopped or torn into large pieces

1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 can anchovies
3 to 4 cloves of garlic
fresh rosemary (leaves from about 3 sprigs)

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar


Directions:

Immerse kale in salted boiling water (in batches, if necessary) and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until limp but still brightly-colored.  Then submerge immediately in cold water to stop the cooking.  Meanwhile, add next 5 ingredients to a food processor and blend.  Put the oil/herb/garlic mixture into a saute' pan and bring up to temperature.  Add kale and toss to heat the kale through.  Add balsamic vinegar and toss again.  Serve immediately.  Makes a lovely and very healthy side dish. 

Mangia, mangia!