Late winter-early spring is a lean time at the farmer’s market (wow, hearing myself say that, it is hard to believe that it is already turning toward spring!). The last of the fall harvest – winter squashes, pears, apples, onions, garlic – are getting old and a little rough looking. Spring veggies are still just a pleasant daydream. Most of what is still coming from the March fields are winter-over veggies like leeks, cabbage, cauliflower and chard. The limited variety makes it challenging to keep winter meals interesting.
This week, I opted for green chard, looking very colorful on the dull winter farm tables, all fat, juicy stems and smallish leaves. With the exception of Nice, (where the green part is used in ravioli fillings, dumplings and even in sweet tarts with raisons and pine nuts), the French consider the stems the best part of the chard plant, and use it in soups, sautés, in stews and, especially in gratins.
With 24 hours of rain expected, a warm, bubbly gratin seemed somehow just right. I served it with a pan sauteed pork flank steak, which French butchers call the “grillade”. Continue reading