Request for recipes for silverbeet

[Heidi Wood]

Hi, I have lots of silverbeet ready to harvest in my garden but I am totally uninspired as to what to make with it apart from the boring old steamed way. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

[Sally]

Hi there - Maybe a bit late, but my favourite silverbeet or spinach recipe is simple but delicious. (can be expensive as it includes pine nuts - but you could substitute another nut). The savouriness of the greens with the tanginess of the pine nuts, olive oil, and sweetness of raisins, makes a beautiful combo.

Here's a version from http://www.euroresidentes.com/euroresiuk/Recipies/traditional/spina...

Spinach with pine nuts (my own comments in brackets)
(snip)

Basic ingredients

* 1 1/2 kg fresh spinach
* 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped (optional)
(I also add some dark raisins, about a handful, soaked in hot water for half hour)
* 50g pine nuts
* salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Wash the spinach thoroughly and cut the rough stems off

2. Cook the spinach in very little water in a covered pan for 5 mins then drain and chop (the recipe I had from a book said to remove the stalks of the silverbeet and cook it til it's very tender - 10 mins about right, and I keep the cooking water for soup stock)

3. Heat the olive oil over a medium to low heat and add the finely sliced garlic, sultanas (I prefer raisins) and pine nuts. Fry gently for 2 - 3 mins, stirring all the time so that the pine nuts brown but do not burn. Add the spinach (and stir twell so that the greens are covered with the oil)

4. Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper

[Isabell Strange]

Cook it in coconut milk instead of water.

[Kiwiswiss]

Chard (Silverbeet) Dolmades
(I really love these - they take a little time, but there will be enough to have next day - wonderful!)

12 mushrooms, coarsely chopped
fresh herbs, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
salt
2 cups rice – I used brown rice
splash white wine or white wine vinegar
1 cup peas
1 cob corn, kernels stripped off
1 tomato
200g feta, crumbled
12 big chard leaves

Make a mushroom stock – chop mushrooms, not too finely, add water & simmer. Add fresh herbs, garlic& onion and salt to taste.

Make risotto. Heat oil, add rice and stir until rice has become glassy, add a splash of white wine and add ladlefuls of stock, until the rice is cooked. Add peas, corn, tomato & feta. Mix well.

Heat large pan of water to blanch chard. Plunge leaves, a few at a time for a few seconds, until the leaves become soft and a darker shade of green. Drain. Trim off stalks to level of the leaf. Place on a board, ribbed side up. Heap 2 tbsp of risotto mixture and fold to form a package. Place onto an oven tray & bake 190oC for about 20 min, to reheat right through. Packages will hold together quite nicely now.

[Yvonne Nikolaison]

We love silverbeet in lasanga, washed and roughly chopped silverbeet, layer between pasta and cheese.

[PetafromOz]

Gabriella, this recipe looks amazing. I haven't got any silverbeet yet in my new garden, but I just managed to barter a swag of the stuff in exchange for a bazillion figs!!! So I'm definitely going to give your recipe a go.
Thanks, Peta

gabriella said:

yes! Greek Silverbeet. This is so yummy. Preheat oven 180 C

Saute 1 large onions in 2 tablespn olive oil. Rinse and chop 250gr silverbeet (the water rinse helps steam them as they stirfry) for about five min. or less, with pinch of sea salt. Drain and place in bowl and add crumbled feta, 200grm ricotta, 1 egg, 1/2cup grated Parmeasan, 1/4 cup coriander (optional), I love to add dill, 1/2tsp of nutmeg, and lemon rind. Mix well and set aside. Place two sheets of filo on the bench, overlapping their shortest side by 2cm, making a long rectangle. Brush on olive oil gently, repeat layers, four sheets on each side, with 2cm overlap brushing and spreading with oil. (Total of 8 sheets). Then place siiverbeet mixture into a sausage shape along the nearest edge of pastry,leaving a border at the sides to turn in. Roll up to fully enclose filling, forming a long cigar shape. Seal edges with oil and gently roll cigar into spiral shape, or crescent (easier) on the baking tray. Brush with more oil. Bake until crisp about 40 mins.

Let me know how it goes....gabriella