Sweet and sour greens with ricotta and pine nuts
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 bu. greens (rainbow chard, cavolo nero or a mix of both)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 stalk green garlic, minced or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
20ish leaves of sage
75g sultanas or currants
1-2 tbls. red wine vinegar
pinch chili flakes (optional)
20g toasted pine nuts
50g ricotta
black pepper
Fresh lemons for zesting
To serve on toast (optional):
Thick slices of sourdough
1 clove garlic for rubbing on the toast
olive oil
Method:
Firstly bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the reinbow chard stalks (if using) and cook those for 5 minutes before adding the greens in. Cook greens and stems a further 2-3 minutes and then drain and set aside.
Sautee the garlic, onion and celery in a wide sautee set over medium heat in the olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook until this starts to brown. Add in the sage and the sultanas and stir to combine and cook a further minute.
Add in the greens and stir with another pinch of salt and place a lid on the pot. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until everything feels quite soft and any remaining water from the greens has evaporated. Season with the vinegar, some black pepper and a pinch of chili flakes, if using. Taste it. It will only be a touch sweet but the vinegar should give the greens a kick of acidity, if not, add a little more vinegar and adjust with salt too. Serve on a large serving plate and top with ricotta, a sprinkle of the pine nuts as well as a grating of lemon zest, more fresh olive oil and some freshly cracked black pepper.
If you wanted to serve on toast, grill your sourdough on a grill or in a hot cast iron pan until browned and toasted. Rub a clove of garlic on the bread and top with the greens, ricotta and garnishes.