Pumpkin & Pomegranate

My last dish with chard was so pleasing to my palate I had to try it again with some really tender rainbow chard from my friends’ garden.  I also received 2 gorgeous bulbs of fennel in my CSA box this week. I didn’t think that I liked fennel, actually I was pretty sure I hated it because I hate licorice. It turns out that I might just hate black licorice candy and Jagermeister. I have noticed something interesting lately. I have some things I know I dislike, and some things I thought I disliked. I know I don’t like bitter greens. Arugula makes me gag (I have to pick it out of mixed salads), I hate yellow mustard, nyet to the black licorice candy, cannot choke down cantaloupe or honeydew…but then I thought I hated avocado, Red bell pepper,  and I thought fennel was the same as black licorice. Not true! I am not sure if it is because my taste buds have matured, or because I can handle some items in different recipes, but I am finding a whole new world of food is opening up to me.

I actually LOVE avocado in my raw pudding, can’t get enough actually. Especially when it looks like this:

Pudd w/ABU & Cashew Butter

Red bell pepper is another new addiction, especially with hummus. My goodness, braised fennel? MORE PLEASE. Oh, and Dijon mustard? Seems to be a winner (at least when it comes to certain recipes).

So, I just decided to add another level of flavor to the chard. I like it even more than without the fennel!

I served it with my Vegan “Chicken” Salad Wraps. M had it with some vegan pot pie I made, he isn’t so much a fan of the nut paté (which leaves more for me).

Braised Fennel with Rainbow Chard, Pine Nuts, and Raisins

Ingredients:

• 2 Bulbs Fennel
• 1 Spring of Fennel Frond
• 1 Lb. Rainbow Chard
• 1 Shallot
• 3 T. Pine Nuts
• 3 T. Raisins
• 1.5 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Plump raisins in very hot water for about 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
2. Clean and quarter your fennel bulbs.
3. On medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the fennel bulb and caramelize the sides. Toss in the shallot.
4. Add in the pine nuts and the drained raisins and cook until the pine nuts begin to turn a light brown, stirring often so they do not burn.
5. Toss in the chard and sautée, stirring frequently to cook the leaves evenly.