The Greens Cookbook
San Francisco is always cold and foggy in the summer. However, the first time I made this for Howard, (in my dot of a kitchen, early on in our relationship) it was unseasonably hot. He called it “hearty.” Which, I found insulting. Well, it is a wintery dish. And, I have to admit “hearty.” Delicious, too. The original recipe calls for you making your own buckwheat pasta, but the soba from the grocery store works just fine.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
- 1/2 cup French lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Few spoonfuls virgin olive oil
- Pepper
- 1 bunch red or green chard
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch squares
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch squares
- 1 or 2 leeks (about 5 ounces), white parts only, finely chopped
- Water or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- Parmesan
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Sort and rinse the lentils well; then cover them generously with water and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf and the salt. Cook at a slow boil until they are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them or they will lose their shape and texture. Drain them and save the liquid for soup stock. Toss the lentils with a little olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set them aside.
Cut the chard leaves away from the stems, wash them well, and slice the leaves into strips about I inch wide. Save the stems to cook by themselves or to use in stock.
Slowly warm 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet or saute pan with the garlic and cook for about I minute, taking care that the garlic doesn’t color. Add the lentils, carrots, celery, and leeks, and stir to coat them with oil. Cook for I minute over medium heat with a sprinkling of salt; then pour in 3/4 cup water or stock and add the chard. Stew until the vegetables are tender. If the liquid evaporates, add more so that there will be a little sauce at the end.
When the vegetables are done, salt the boiling water and cook the noodles; then scoop them out and add them to the vegetables. Toss everything together, add the parsley, and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve the noodles and spoon the remaining olive oil over the top. Finish with a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. For a wine, you could serve a light pinot noir or Cotes-du-Rhone.
Variation Buckwheat Pasta with French Lentils and Goat Cheese
Goat cheese goes very well both with chard and buckwheat. Crumble 5 ounces goat cheese into the pasta and vegetables, and toss just enough to incorporate it; then finish with olive oil and Parmesan.
Notes
I made this and used 12 oz of dry noodles, more carrots, celery & chard and it was delicious. The parmesan to finish isn’t optional, it really makes the dish work.