Swiss Chard Stew

This Swiss Chard Stew from epicurious.com (Bon Appetit, December 2005) with curried red lentils and garbanzo beans is extraordinarily good. Making it also happened to effectively dispatch a number of things we already had in our cupboard such as several cubes of vegetable bouillon, lentils, cayenne, and curry powder. We didn't have red lentils, so I used the green variety, cooked until tender, and although this recipe calls for canned garbanzos, I used a pound of dried, simmering them independently first, which lent a nice texture to the dish. We had a bunch of fresh kale patiently waiting in our crisper, so I subbed that for the chard. A hint: to remove the stalks, just grab onto them with one hand and rip the leafy fronds off with the other. We also used a little creme fraiche instead of the yogurt called for as that was what we had on hand. Such a warming dish for winter and very easy to make. Just don't go overboard in devouring it when it is placed on the table--as you might well imagine, it is very high in fiber!

Swiss Chard Stew
Adapted from epicurious.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
1 large bunch or 2 small bunches Swiss chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups)
1 pound red lentils (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
Plain yogurt

Preparation
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until golden, about 13 minutes. Mix in curry and cayenne. Add broth and chard. Increase heat; bring to boil. Add lentils and garbanzos; reduce heat to medium. Cover; simmer until lentils are tender, stirring twice, about 10 minutes. Divide stew among bowls. Top with yogurt.

Photo credit: Scott Peterson