Cheesy Cauliflower and Chard
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small head or 1/2 large head of cauliflower
- 1 bunch of chard
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup cheap white wine (such as pinot gris)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- fresh ground black pepper (or 1/4 tsp)
DIRECTIONS
Wash the cauliflower and cut it up into small pieces. Wash the chard. Shake water off or pat dry with a towel and then separate the leaves from the thick stems. Dice the 2 garlic cloves.
If you have a small steamer pot, you can throw the cauliflower in that, bring water to boil and steam for about 10 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer pot, you can effectively steam the cauliflower by putting 1/4 cup of water into a frying pan. Then put on a low to medium heat, throw in the cauliflower and put a lid on it (I highly recommend glass lids so you can see what’s going on in there). You want to keep an eye on the water so it doesn’t completely evaporate. About 10 minutes. Test cauliflower with a fork. It should be tender when it’s done. Pour out your boiling water (if using a steamer) or extra water (if you using a frying pan). Leave the burner on and add in your shredded cheese and put the cauliflower back in your pot or frying pan. Keep stirring until it’s thoroughly melted. Cover and set aside.
Keep the burner on low-medium heat. Test that the pan is hot enough by splashing a few drops of water in it – they should sizzle and slowly evaporate. Put in the 1/4 cup of white wine. Don’t bring it to a boil. You’ll want to keep it under boiling. Add the diced garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes or until you can small the garlic getting flavorful. Keep the heat low enough so that all of your wine doesn’t evaporate and don’t add more. The cooking time is important because you’ll want the alcohol to start to burn off so your dish comes out more flavorful. Add the chard leaves and cover. Occasionally check and stir it. You’re sautéing the chard and waiting for it to wilt. It doesn’t need much cooking time. I’ve had it cook in as little as 5 minutes. I’d say 5-10 minutes. During the sautéing, sprinkle in your salt and add the lemon juice.
When the chard is done, you can lightly heat up the cauliflower on the same burner if it’s cooled during the cooking of the chard.
Sprinkle both the cauliflower and chard with fresh ground pepper. Serve both immediately. Makes 2 servings. Will keep in the fridge for a couple days.