adobo paste - red chile marinade

I would urge you to try to make this paste just once and for no other reason than to really understand what true Mexican flavors are made of. With a few exceptions, the true Mexican palate is not sympathetic to 'hot' foods; mostly the heat is delivered through very potent and innocuous looking salsas and condiments. the main flavors are a little sweet, some bitter, mostly savory, and unbelievably complex. This adobo paste calls for the toasting and rehydration of some chiles, a process that, when combined with the rest of the spices and herbs, creates a gorgeous, deep, almost buttery and slightly bitter compound.



i used it this weekend with some shredded rotisserie chicken and acorn squash (roasted with a little honey) for a tamale filling. i think it has less heat than you would think, but adds so many layers of complexity that it's hard to describe accurately.

Here's how i did it, thanks, again, to rick bayless and his guidance:

Yield: 1 generous cup


8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 medium (~2 oz) dried ancho choles, stemmed, seeded and deveined
6 medium (~1 1/2 oz) dried guajillos, stemmed seeded and deveined

1/2 in cinammon stick (or ~1/2 tsp ground)
1 clove (or a pinch ground)
10 black peppercorns (or 1/4 tsp ground)
2 large bay leaves, broken up (I used 1/2 tsp ground bay leaves [laurel molido])
1/8 tsp cumin seeds (or generous 1/8 tsp ground)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme (i used a sprig or two of fresh)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water



Toasting the chiles and garlic: Roast the garlic cloves on a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, until blackened in spots and very soft, about 15 minutes - i put the cloves in the pan before turning the heat on so the garlic could soften more before blackening
Remove, cool, skin, and roughly chop



While the garlic is roasting, tear the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time: use a metal spatula to press them firmly (i mean really squish them down. make those suckers sizzle under your spatula) against the hot surface for a few seconds, until they blister, crackle and change color, ten flip them over and press them flat to toast the other side.

(Note: if you use the same heavy-bottomed pan for this as the garlic toasting, like i did, this should only take a few seconds per side. i took mine off the heat to slow the blackening down, then returned it towards the end. this whole process takes just a few minutes)

Soaking the chiles: Break the chiles into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep submerged and soak 30 minutes. Drain, tear into smaller pieces, place in a blender jar and add the garlic.


Finishing the adobo: in a mortar or spice grinder, pulverize the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and cumin. Add to the chiles along with the oregano, thyme, salt, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water.
ith a long series of blender pulses, reduce the mixture to a paste: run the blender for a few seconds until the mixture clogs, then scrape down the sides with a spatula and stir; repeat a dozen times or more until the mixture is smooth. Don't add water unless absolutely necessary or this marinating paste won't do its job well. strain the paste through a medium-mess sieve into a noncorrosive container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate.

tamales

Mushroom Empanadas

I've been testing out some empanada dough in preparation for the Mexisplosion that's about to pass through this doorway when I get home with my newly inherited tortilla press. This dough recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen, which is flaky and delicious enough, but most of the really authentic recipes call for 1/2 flour / 1/2 masa, with vinegar. excited to test out a few when I get back from Canada. I can't believe that it has been a year already. Throughout the summer all I've really focused on is trying to pluck from my memory the things that I was doing at exactly that same day one year ago. I'm awful with dates, but my memory has been pitch-perfect all summer. I can remember distinctly the daily routines of last summer.





But, anyway, this empanada batch had pureed mushrooms, shallots, thyme, and turkey mince. The filling is the raw stuffing leftovers of a Turkey Valentine (stuffed and rolled turkey breast) from the night before. Anyway, looking forward to pawing through more recipes.

weekend: zucchini pancakes, new knitting project

2 c. shredded zucchini
1 Tbsp tapioca flour
or
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/2 Tbsp flour
3-4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt / 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
2 eggs, beaten


heat pan on med with a pad of butter and Tbsp of olive oil.

grate zucchini and toss with tapioca flour/corstarch mix. add all ingredients except for the eggs, stirring to combine. make well in the bowl with zucchini mix and add beaten eggs. stir just until combined. spoon mixture (i used 1/4 c. measuring spoon) into pan, maybe 4 at a time. flip when top starts to bubble.

for the dip, i used a combination of garlic mint yogurt and sour cream, so anything a little zesty would work. also, i'm not sure where in the world you are reading this from, but over here it's just beginning to be corn season. if you have some cooked and shucked corn, it would be great in here. if you're adding more than a few tablespoons, i'd add another teaspoon or so of flour.

This little number is just about finished. remember the grey haruni shawl from about a month ago? i'm knitting it again, except skipping all of the lacework except for the beautiful bottom border with the flower petals that flare out. the color in the picture above is very close to reality. it's a gorgeous soft jade and has just enough tone-on-tone difference throughout the yarn to keep it interesting. and, since i'm using malabrigo lace, it's so touchably soft that i'm not even missing the lace stitches.

pita bread with tumeric and onion

This pita bread is from a naan bread recipe courtesy of allrecipes. Since i cooked the bread 2 at a time in the oven, it allowed for experimentation that brought me from naan to a pita. the recipe itself is not a quick endeavor, but the cooking time is, and the results are outstanding.

Given the high yield (i'd say you can get as many as 20 small pitas out of the dough without a problem; i got about 10 medium- to large-sized ones) this is an absolutely perfect thing to make for when people come over, especially if you're doing any outside grilling like shish kebabs or grilled chicken. i say this because they're incredible as soon as they cool, good for maybe a day or so afterward and then go downhill pretty quickly after that.

the sweetness of this dough definitely pushed through the turmeric and onion powders. the pita tasted a bit like freshly baked sweet bread, and that lends itself well to further alterations. the first thing that comes to mind to me is adding finely chopped rosemary nettles.
we paired ours with some oven baked cornish game hens marinated and cooked with adobo and orange juice, so also having a more savory marinade would help play off the bread's taste.

sorry about the crappy photos, i wasn't expecting to take any pictures that night.

my own modifications have been made below, so if you'd like to see the recipe as it was printed, or if you would like their directions on how to grill the dough, check out the link above.

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp each turmeric and onion powder
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing.
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 10-15 minutes, until frothy. Whisk together sugar, milk, egg and salt in a small bowl and pour over yeast. Add the turmeric and onion powder to the flour, and add 3 1/2 cups to the yeast mixture if you're hand-kneading and 4 if using a mixer with a dough hook. add remaining flour as needed, keeping in mind that you might not use it all.
  
• Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth, adding remaining flour if needed. If using a mixer, it will be more like 6-7 minutes and the dough should clear the bowl without sticking.
  
• Using either method, the dough should not be sticky. it should should feel like a smooth skipping stone when you run your fingers over it, but should still be a little tacky. if you're not sure, go for another half minute and check the smoothness again.
  Roll into a ball.
• Place dough in a well oiled bowl, rolling to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume. If your house is on the chilly side, especially during this time of year, what you can do is turn on your oven to the lowest temp (150 or 200 degrees) and leave on for five minutes, then shut off, wait another five, and let the dough rise in there. the idea is not to heat the dough or get it to a proofing temperature, just to give it a place to rise where it can snuggle in a little warmth.
  
• Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough that are bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball. the size isn't a huge deal, since you have to watch for doneness anyway when it cooks, but this will give you a good-sized pita. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover completely but loosely with a towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• When the dough is ready preheat to 450 with a heavy sheet pan on a middle rack.
• As the oven preheats, begin to roll out dough in small batches. i would recommend cooking 2 pitas at a time, and rolling out to order (2 at a time while 2 are in the oven) the dough is quite tough, so really get in there to roll them out to 1/8th of an inch. if the dough is too thick, it won't make an air bubble in the middle, so you'll have flatbread instead of a pita.

when the dough gets to the correct thickness, drizzle a little olive oil on top, take the sheet pan out of the oven and throw the pitas oil side down on the pan and get into the oven quickly. watch for small air pockets that begin to pop up. these should grow until most or all of the dough is inflated, about 2 minutes.
if you can stand the heat, pull the oven rack closer to you a little, quickly flip dough with tongs, drizzle/brush oil on second side and sprinkle with kosher salt. the second side should be done in 30 seconds or so. then you can fill with tasty treats like so:

bean burgers, the return

these burgers were just amazing. they were the white bean burgers that i spoke of in a previous post, but this time the other ingredients (the shredded carrots, the shallots, the mushrooms) all were subjected to mushroom stock and red wine reductions to get a nice, concentrated flavor. they turned this deep brown color and tasted sweet and salty without sugar or salt. i'm not going to post a recipe because i can't really recall everything i did, but there you have it.

pancakes!

i don't know about you, but the reason why pancakes hardly ever appeal to me is that they're too fluffy without having any substance. i get that this is something that people spend a lot of time and energy to achieve, but i don't like it. if i'm going to be consuming 1,100 calories before 10 AM, i want to have something to savor, and i can't savor anything when a full pancake (don't judge me) dissolves as soon as it hits my tongue.

enter these little darlings.
they're so good for you! and so tasty! and the sesame seeds give them this hearty texture that makes you want to nibble and savor, not inhale. in fact, it's scientifically impossible to eat these like you would regular pancakes.




I very slightly adapted the recipe for Nutty Blueberry Pancakes from The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible.

I also substituted 2 tablespoons of Agave Nectar and 1 tablespoon of Splenda for the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar.


Also, if you want to add bananas, i'd tuck them into the batter halfway, like the below photo. otherwise they just sit on top and get mushy on one side.

supertasty orange potato soup

This is the perfect lunch soup. as someone who doesn't remember the last time i ate lunch at work while doing absolutely nothing else, i get a little picky with what i take with me for lunch.

eating something that doesn't necessarily need utensils and tastes great both straight out of the microwave and lukewarm after being neglected for a few minutes while i answer email or type up documents is a rare treat.

this potato soup takes about 40 minutes or so, start to finish. it has a couple major ingredients, and they're all staples that you'd likely have on hand whenever the mood should strike.

Potato Soup

• 1/2 onion and 2 stalks celery, chopped
  
• 4-5 potatoes and 4-5 carrots, diced or shredded through a food processor
• tetra pack (1 litre?) of low-sodium chicken broth
• few sprigs of chopped thyme, a few bay leaves, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes
• 2 cups medium sharp cheddar
• small handful of parsley, if you want

sautee the onion in a few tablespoons of oil on medium heat, salting lightly

when the onion is about halfway cooked, add the thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant

add the carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes while you clean up, stirring every so often

add the stock, then fill the container with water and add that in too. clamp a lid on, and cook for 30 minutes. taste for seasoning.
take off the heat and puree with an immersion blender. throw in a small handful of chopped parsley and the cheddar, and let the heat of the soup get it all melty. Andy suggested that you could leave the cheddar out of the soup and add a bunch on top so it gets both stringy and melty. i told him to keep his opinions to himself.

final note: this would be tasty with some corn.

sweet potato cornbread

This week i've been doing a lot of tinkering. I'm trying to make a few different savory muffins and, in the process, i'm experimenting with baking consistencies and testing different flours. I've already made a batch of muffins that went into the garbage (Miso Soup muffins with a dashi stock reduction) but i'm learning a lot from my mistakes. As a preliminary round, I made some sweet potato cornbread that turned out well. I didnt know what to expect with flavoring, so it's a little underseasoned. the sweet potato mash could have definitely used some more salt, but other than that it have no complaints.



Adding sweet potatoes didn't alter the general taste or consistency of regular cornbread like i was expecting it to. You can definitely taste that there's something moderately special about what you're eating, but the most distinct characteristic was that it was more substantial and moist and cake-y. it tasted denser, but not in a sit-at-the-bottom-of-your-stomach kind of way.

if you try and make these and stick a toothpick in them to see if it's done, don't take them out until the toothpick comes out completely clean. with regular cakes you can have a tiny bit of batter/crumb come out and it's perfect by the time it cools, but the sweet potatoes take forever to dry out.


* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup cornmeal
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 T baking powder
* 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
* 2 teaspoons salt


* 2 eggs, beaten
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (1 medium), salted
* 1/2 cup chopped up corn


mix the first half of the ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk the last ingredients together in another bowl. add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together only until it comes together. should still be lumpy but the flour should be incorporated. pour batter into an 8 inch oiled pan and bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes.

chickpea burgers

beans and grains, when consumed roughly around the same time, creates a complete amino acid, something that is almost impossible to find without reaching for animal protein sources. most ethnic cuisines (indian curry, mexican beans and rice, japanese tofu and rice) serve the two foods together ordinarily which is how the poorer populations of these ethnicities can subsist without a need for huge protein portions from animal products.

so far i've posted a few bean burgers, and we make them quite often. i think they're way more flavorful and filling than a regular sandwich or burger, and they still taste good at room temperature.

i find that with these burgers i can hardly get through one in a sitting because they fill me up so much. i make the filling and shape patties on one day and stack them in a container separated with saran wrap and they keep in the fridge for about a week. they taste way better when you cook them up as you want them because part of their charm is the crunch. also, i cannot even BEGIN to tell you how unbelievable caramelized onions are on these.
i don't normally use chickpeas in burgers, but i found these mini chickpeas, Chana Dal, in the bulk section of the Co-op. i'd start out with a butter bean or white bean. there's something a little too toothy about chickpeas, or maybe i've just eaten too many in my life.

my basic method of bean burgers uses a little less than half of a bag of reconstituted beans. this is probably equivalent to two cans of beans, so half it if you're only using one can.

beans
small onion
thyme
8-10 mushrooms
balsamic vinegar
seasoning
eggs
breadcrumbs if you have them


on medium, cook the diced onion, thyme and mushrooms until the mushrooms have released their moisture and everything is getting brown. add a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar and use it to scrape up any little bits that have stuck to the bottom, then transfer to a large bowl, reserving a bit to add as a condiment.


in the same bowl, add your drained and rinsed beans and whatever seasoning you normally use on burgers. i use some burger seasoning, tabasco, pepper, and a tiny bit of paprika and sugar. mix it all together, really trying to mash down most of the beans, then add two eggs, mix in well, and start forming into patties. i lay out a bunch of saran wrap pieces and put a patty on each as i make them, then wrap them up individually.
if you're making a bunch right away, consider dredging in breadcrumbs or panko crumbs before cooking in enough oil so that it just barely covers the bottom of the pan. they take about 6-8 minutes to cook, mostly to just get a good sear. and they may fall apart on you a bit. often the patties that have had a chance to firm up in the fridge fare better. they taste really good with sliced tomatoes and mayo.


beans and grains, when consumed roughly around the same time, creates a complete amino acid, something that is almost impossible to find without reaching for animal protein sources. most ethnic cuisines (indian curry, mexican beans and rice, japanese tofu and rice) serve the two foods together ordinarily which is how the poorer populations of these ethnicities can subsist without a need for huge protein portions from animal products.

roasted soup

sticking with the theme of using winter vegetables, i decided to change up how i usually make butternut squash soup. this time i cubed and roasted squash, onions, garlic after tossing in s, p, and olive oil at about 425 F. you want the vegetables to roast until the corn and onions turn a little tinged, and the squash is fork-tender. then you dump the whole thing into a pot of simmering chicken stock, chopped thyme, and a diced carrot, and let bubble for about 30 minutes. at the end, the squash should sort of disintegrate into the soup. i added about a tablespoon of sesame oil and a big tablespoonful of peanut butter, and stirred around until that dissolved, about five minutes.

superbowl snacks: chicken in wonton cups with orange reduction sauce

i had posted these about a year ago, and since i brought them with us to the superbowl watching party at mike's sister michelle's house, i thought i'd repost. these are essentially unwrapped egg rolls/dumplings. in fact, i get an extra pckage of dumpling wrappers and make dumplings with the leftovers. there are really few ingredients, and i'm going to tinker around with this recipe to make it more slaw-like.

this is what i did:
put 1/2 head of a very small cabbage through the shredding blade of a food processor (thanks, barbara!), then removed it from the bowl and added a carrot. keep them separate or when they cook everything will take on a purple-y grey color.

mixed 4 T sesame oil with 1/2 cup of sugar or honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, and generous pepper. take out about 1/4 cup of the mixture and add to about 2 cups of orange juice and a heaping teaspoon of chili sauce and set aside.

sauteed some green onions, threw in the carrots and 2 cups cooked up rotisserie chicken, then added most (but not all) of the sesame oil mixture, stirred around for just a minute and then moved to a larger mixing bowl. with the heat still on, i added the rest of the mixture and cooked the cabbage for about 2 minutes, then let cool and transferred to the mixing bowl with everything else.
i turned the oven to 350-375 F and sprayed a muffin tin with oil and lined it with round dumpling wrappers. they take about ten minutes to cook, but check them often, and take then out at the first signs of the brown crispiness you see in the photos. if that happens in, like, five minutes, turn it down to 350. take them out of the oven and dump them into a big bowl, then spray and line again. it took about three or four batches to go through a package of wrappers.

orange reduction dipping sauce:
get a small saucepan on medium high and add in that orange juice mixture. when it starts heating up, taste it to see what you think. just let it boil away for about ten to fifteen minutes, until it's reduced by about a third. mix 1/2 T cornstarch with a little bit of water in a small bowl or shot glass and crush out all of the lumps before adding to the sauce. let it cook for another minute (if you let it cook for 2 minutes or more, though, the cornstarch will break and it won't thicken up), then pour into a serving bowl to cool.

awesome stew

this stew tastes amazing, says andy. and it smelled amazing, says me. it truly is so stick-to-your-ribs and hearty and everything you want in a stew, that it's sort of hard to not make a point to cook it. seriously, it's onions, meat, tomato paste, and beer, essentially. the taste is so complex and it's unbelievable to think that it's comprised of such few, simple ingredients. i love that.
it also is a stew that readily handles change. for example, i really recommend adding potatoes and carrots and parsnips. even turnips would go well. the extra ingredients don't flatten the flavors, and the sauce goes a long way. the reason why i love this recipe is because i'm mean about meat, and i figure if i'm going to go to all of the trouble to make andy something filled with meat, my retribution is that it's going to have some vegetables and vitamins thrown in to make me feel better about the situation. i'm punitive with my food.


i used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen for Beef Carbonnade. The beer here (Chimay) seems a little fru-fru (by "fru-fru" i mean "not necessarily cheap"... trappist monks are very elitist) but is absolutely vital. This beer tastes unbelievably sweet and bitter and so so so tasty, and if you use even a decent beer it's still unacceptable.

The beer itself comes in three different "flavors", and I used the blue label. I don't remember what kind it was, but there's a Chimay with a burgundy label, a deep blue label, and i think a wheat-colored label. in think the red and blue kinds are interchangeable here, though the white is probably not. It comes in a big bottle with a cork, and you might have to check a place or two before tracking it down. for example, it wasn't at the little grocery store near our house, but was well-stocked at Nugget and the Co-op. so maybe make a point to try and track it down before the day you want to make this dish, just so there are no last-minute hiccups.




I followed the recipe pretty much verbatim, though i have included my additions (vegetables) and corresponding extra liquid to the recipe, so email me if you want the straight-up Beef Carbonnade recipe.

also, it freezes really well. it's so hearty that a little bit of leftovers really goes a long way, and goes really well with rice (which you can also freeze, though separately) and egg noodles.
please make this!!!


Beef Carbonnade

Step One:
Yellow onions, slivered
2 pounds of chuck eye roast or blade steak
3 peeled and chopped carrots, 3 parsnips
tomato paste
salt

Step Two:
few cloves of garlic
3 tbsp flour
chicken and/or beef broth (few tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups chimay beer
1 cup of water, divided

Step Three:
a few stalks of thyme, separated from stem and quickly chopped
2-3 bay leaves
1 tbsp cider vinegar
s&p
____________________

Remove gristle and silverskin from meat.
Pat dry and then brown in a heated and oiled pan, *working in batches*. Remove meat and let sit.
Add a tablespoon of oil, lower the heat to med-low, and add 2 pounds of slivered yellow onions, adding a tablespoon of salt and tomato paste. Sweat for five minutes at medium low, and then raise to medium.
Add parsnips and carrots, cook for a few minutes.


Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add flour and incorporate for a minute or two.
Add chicken stock, 1/2 cup water, and beer.

Add section three.


Put in a 350 degree oven with lid slightly off for an hour and a half. Take out of the oven and add in 2-3 cooked potatoes with an additional 1/2 cup water (you can use chicken stock if you want to, though), then cook for another 30 minutes.

holy moly.

THIS IS THE BEST SANDWICH EVER:




toasted bread (i used oat and hazlenut)
dijon mustard
honey
juuuust ripe avocado
caramelized onions
s & p

awesome panini sandwich

why don't we make paninis more often? they're like little crispy bundles of Buddha. Here's the crab dip reincarnated as a panini sandwich, with a side of pesto penne pasta made with shredded zucchini and chicken sausage.

swiss chard and spinach cannelloni

now, every winter i'm the first to admit that i crave the deep comfort of baked, big-batch dishes, but i rarely vary from the flavor and ingredients i've used in the past, often at my own peril. i know it's hard to be altogether inspired by the offerings of the produce section between december and february. i'm trying to overcome this by experimenting with the vegetables, tubers, and fruits that i so often overlook and avoid eye contact with altogether in the event that my conviction will waver during the cold months.

i think the major reason why i haven't fully embraced the trappings of the winter season is because my only recent memories attached to buying them is throwing them out, wilted and pitiful, after spending a month slowly decaying under other withering produce.




now, every winter i'm the first to admit that i crave the deep comfort of baked, big-batch dishes, but i rarely vary from the flavor and ingredients i've used in the past, often at my own peril. i know it's hard to be altogether inspired by the offerings of the produce section between december and february. i'm trying to overcome this by experimenting with the vegetables, tubers, and fruits that i so often overlook and avoid eye contact with altogether in the event that my conviction will waver during the cold months.
now, every winter i'm the first to admit that i crave the deep comfort of baked, big-batch dishes, but i rarely vary from the flavor and ingredients i've used in the past, often at my own peril. i know it's hard to be altogether inspired by the offerings of the produce section between december and february. i'm trying to overcome this by experimenting with the vegetables, tubers, and fruits that i so often overlook and avoid eye contact with altogether in the event that my conviction will waver during the cold months.

i think the major reason why i haven't fully embraced the trappings of the winter season is because my only recent memories attached to buying them is throwing them out, wilted and pitiful, after spending a month slowly decaying under other withering produce.

in short, i haven't treated winter harvests very well, and i'm trying to change that.

i'm starting with swiss chard. i'm not kidding, this is the first time i've purchased and used swiss chard. i've bought it so many times and every time it has met a horrible end at the bottom of the produce bin, expelling both foul odors and brown-ish green liquid. how triumphant, then, that this was so delicious!


for the filling, i used 1/2 of a big container of ricotta cheese, so you can just use 1 smaller container. i used a little less than a bunch of swiss chard (maybe 5 big leaves?) but i'm including a full bunch in the recipe, because i really should have used the whole thing. also, the tomato sauce i used was jarred, and i used Classico Organic. I got it at costco for a great price, and it is by far the tastiest jarred sauce i've ever tasted. it doesn't taste like ketchup and isn't overly seasoned with garbage herbs and whatever. it's just a nice base that actually tastes like tomato sauce. yes, i have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer (usually), and yes i'd normally be demanding that you make your own sauce using crushed tomatoes, but come on. i'm using swiss chard. i deserve a little leniency.

so, here's the recipe:

filling:
1 egg
swiss chard
2 handfuls of spinach, washed
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
green onion, garlic, herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley)
1 tbsp lemon juice
romano cheese (1 cup)
ricotta cheese
lemon zest of 1/2 lemon
salt, pepper, nutmeg
chopped fresh parsley and basil

sauce:
jar of sauce, plus an equal amount of water
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tsps dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper


sauce:
heat a pan on medium with some oil. add some red pepper flakes and chopped onion when the heat gets warm, follow with garlic and dried oregano. saute until the onions get tender, about 5 minutes. when you're ready, add a jar of sauce or an equal amount of homemade and let bubble away for 10 minutes (the most labor-intensive parts are over, so now would be a good time to start with the filling), checking for seasoning and adding as you see fit. any herb or seasoning blend you normally use in marinara sauce is fine. fill your jar up with water and dump in, letting simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or so. done!

filling:
chop 1 bunch of green onions a little larger than you would normally chop them.
smash and chop 3-4 cloves of garlic.

rinse and dry off the leaves of the swiss chard. if you're laying it with the stem facing you, cut a V on either side of the big stem to cut it out, separating the white from the deep green leaves.
cut up the greens into relatively large pieces; it's going to all wilt, so the size is not important.

heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan with olive oil and throw in 1 tsp red pepper flakes. let it slowly heat to medium-high as you chop up the stems. when you're ready, add them into the pan along with some salt, pepper, and oregano.
add the green onions and garlic and stir around for a minute, then throw in the chard leaves and spinach, and the lemon juice. throw a lid on the pan and let the lemon juice steam everything for a minute before taking off the heat.

begin adding the last 4 ingredients of the filling to a food processor, then spoon in the swiss chard mixture, trying to tap out as much of the excess liquid as possible. blend, then spoon out and taste for seasoning. season generously. add the egg after you're sure the seasoning is correct and throw in the fridge to firm up overnight.

assembling:
take the filling out of the fridge and dab excess moisture off the surface, spoon into a gallon-sized ziploc bag and seal, pushing out any air. cut a hole in one of the corners and you're ready to roll.
boil the cannelloni for seven minutes. double check this time with the package directions. if the box says al dente cooked in 8-9 minutes, seven is the magic time. strain very well and immediately dump out onto a large cookie sheet to cool.


take a 9x13 pan and ladle a spoonful of sauce across the bottom. fill the cannellonis until the filling starts pushing back at you (~75% full), then start laying your little lovelies along the pan. pour all of the remaining sauce overtop, throw in a couple of basil leaves if you have them lying around, and cover with however much cheese you'd like. i won't judge.

i topped with a layer of either parmesan or romano, and i'd be a bad friend if i didn't recommend that you do the same.