Fresh rainbow chard from the garden
Rainbow chard is not something I’ve grown much before. Now, I can’t imagine not having some ready to pick and cook. Even if you have a tiny garden, you can sneak some in between your roses or in a tub on the porch. It’s really easy for you to grow, and you can just pick the larger leaves each time. The middle will keep fattening out ready for the next meal. And, with the hotter weather here now, don’t worry if looks as though it’s going to seed. Cut the taller middle out and use it before it gets too big. The outside will keep producing it’s magic.
Left over ham from Christmas?
Leftover ham from Christmas? Yep, that’s me, every year. So, a great combination is to put these two winners together. You can make something to pop away in the freezer for breakfast or lunch. And then, when you go back to work, you’ve got some ready-made meals! Perfect! And if you want to make a tart with a healthy base, make my wholemeal pastry and line the baking tray with that first.
Ham and rainbow chard frittata
Equipment
- medium saute pan
- medium non-stick roasting pan
Ingredients
- 10 eggs
- 200 grams rainbow spinach (chard), stems chopped, leaves sliced replace with English spinach
- 400 grams chopped ham this is flexible, use up the Christmas leftover ham!
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 spring onions – white and green parts sliced
- 1 tspn crushed fresh garlic
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C and line base of roasting pan with baking paper
- Arrange chopped ham across bottom of pan.
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in the saute pan, add the garlic, spring onions and chard stems and leaves. Turn heat down and stir gently until leaves are wilted and stems and onions are just softened.
- Spread mixture over the ham, and gently combine.
- Whisk eggs and milk together and pour over the top. Spread grated cheese evenly over the top and bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve with extra wilted chard leaves. Perfect for dividing into 6 portions and freezing for future breakfasts. Or take on a picnic.
There are so many options for this frittata. Rainbow chard can be replaced with baby spinach or kale (or both). If you want vegetarian, leave out the ham and replace with a root vegetable (roasted or steamed), such as pumpkin. With that option, you’d probably love popping some feta cheese, crumbled under the layer of cheddar. Of course, a favourite with the family is to replace the ham with shredded roast chicken! Such a no-brainer with kids. Speaking of which, usually younger children will screw up their noses at greens! Actually some older ‘kids’ do too (my 28 year old son). But the rainbow chard, or spinach or kale don’t dominate the flavours. The saltiness of the ham, or the flavours in the roast chicken will be the main taste. So give it a go. If they don’t eat it, all the more for you!!!!