CHARD BUNDLES WITH LEMON RICE & SAGE BUTTER

This is from “A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen”. I have to say that, though simple and subtle, this was my favorite of the FCA dishes. The rice had just the right amount of lemon in it. A bit fussy, but like my other “bundle” recipe (WILD MUSHROOM BUNDLES), worth the effort.

8 large chard leaves (at least – we had extra and then made different sized bundles)
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup grated parmesan
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons (perhaps more) butter
16 (or more if you like) pretty sage leaves

Bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Trim the large stems from the chard (either completely if they are very large, or just the back sides if not too large – remember you’re looking for bundle wrappings). Add chard leaves to boiling water and cook briefly until tender, removing carefully with a slotted spoon to dry flat on tea towels. Blot dry and cool completely.

Add the rice to the same pot once the chard’s out and cook, stirring occasionally until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the cheese, egg yolk, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl.

When the rice is tender, drain and return it to the pot. Stir in the egg mixture, coating the rice evenly. Add a tablespoon of butter, cover the pot and set aside for a minute. Then stir to distribute the melted butter and add salt to taste. Cool a bit.

Place about 1/3 cup of the rice mixture in the center of each chard leaf (adjusting obviously according to leaf size), folding up to make a neat bundle. (You can do all this ahead of time and then hold bundles until just before this last bit.)

Heat 3ish tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sage and crisp lightly, then remove sage to paper towels. Add the chard bundles to the butter in the skillet, seam side down and brown gently on both sides. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with sage leaves before serving.