Chard is one of our favorite greens. It’s stunningly beautiful and abundant at our farmers market even in the winter. It’s also delicious and edible in its entirety, both stems and greens, which is always a treat. We have simple, garlic sautéed chard as a side dish pretty often, and lately we’ve been adding raisins and capers to it, for bigger flavor. One night recently, without a real plan in mind, I roasted a head of cauliflower and added it to pasta, along with the raisin and caper chard. We loved the interaction of the caramelized cauliflower with the sweetness of the raisins and saltiness of the capers, as well as the slightly bitter, garlicky chard. My favorite dishes often come out of off the cuff cooking like that, this pasta being no exception. Hope you’ll give it a go!
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch chard, stemmed, stems thinly sliced, leaves torn
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- ⅓ cup raisins (golden or regular)
- 2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
- 10-12 oz pasta of choice
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Prepare a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Put the cauliflower on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and stir to coat. Roast the cauliflower for 40 minutes, stirring halfway, until very soft and caramelized in parts.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. Add the chard stems to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt, saute for 5 minutes, until the stems are just beginning to soften. Add the garlic, raisins, and capers, saute for another 5 minutes, or until the chard stems and garlic are soft and the raisins are plump. Add the chard leaves to the pan, along with another pinch of salt, and cook until wilted and soft, another 3-5 minutes. Add the roasted cauliflower to the pan, mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in very well salted water until al dente, following the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the cauliflower and chard, along with a splash of the pasta water. Gently mix to coat, letting the pasta take on the flavors in the pan for about 1 more minute. Add another splash of the pasta water if needed. Serve the pasta right away, drizzled with more olive oil.
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