Baked Beans with Swiss Chard

Today was the day to thin the carrots, leeks and parsnips.

It was the day to pick the first strawberries and watch my son devour them.

It was the day to pick some cauliflower and swiss chard.

…Today was a good day to cook from the garden.

Baked beans with swiss chard and smoked turkey. Who thought this one up? Of course my friends in Food Network Kitchens, who else? It can be a main dish or a side dish, a lunch or a dinner. We liked it best with some hot pepper sauce added; it made a really satisfying dinner with home-made rolls and borani esfanaaj (a Persian spinach and yogurt mixture – quite delicious spread on the rolls or as a dip).

As of now, the garden is growing well, everything looks very healthy. I even found some empty space to add some pumpkin and watermelon plants; those are just for fun, if I get even one pumpkin I will be very happy. The garden has been well watered with our frequent rains. We escaped unscathed when a tornado and hail storm hit a few miles down the road.

Baked Beans with Swiss Chard

from Food Network Kitchen

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped (from the garden)
1/2 cup diced smoked turkey (about 2 ounces)
1 15 -ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 15 -ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can pinto, 1 can kidney beans)
1 15 -ounce can navy beans, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (from my neighbor’s garden)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (from my neighbor’s garden)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 7 minutes.

Add the chard, turkey and 1/4 cup water to the skillet; cook, stirring, until the chard wilts slightly, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, increase the heat to medium high and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the pinto beans, then add the navy beans and their liquid.

Add the parsley, thyme and oregano and return to a simmer. Coarsely mash about one-quarter of the beans in the skillet with a potato masher or fork to thicken the mixture; season with salt.

Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.