Heirloom Tomato Concassé with Wilted Swiss Chard

Sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes can be made into a concassé that works as well with vegetables as it does with pasta or grains. Sometimes, I can’t bear to cook sweet heirloom tomatoes. I love this concassé with pasta or grains, but this time, I decided to use it as a sauce for Swiss chard. I steamed the chard to wilt it, heated it in a little bit of olive oil, then piled it on my plate and spooned the tomato sauce on top. It’s a great combo, and now I think I’ll use it as the vegetable and sauce element of a big bowl. A little feta sprinkled over the top would not be lost on this.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh, sweet, ripe heirloom tomatoes, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced or puréed
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Several fresh basil leaves, cut in slivers or torn
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 or 2 bunches Swiss chard (about 1 1/4 to 2 pounds), stemmed (keep stems if they are wide and fleshy), leaves washed in 2 changes of water
• Feta for garnish (optional)

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    120 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 424 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 4 to 6

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with their juices, garlic, salt, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and half the basil. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes or longer. Stir, taste, adjust salt and add pepper.
2. Meanwhile, wilt chard by blanching in boiling salted water for about a minute or by steaming above 1 inch of boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes, flipping the bunch top to bottom using tongs halfway through. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water, taking up the chard by the handful. Chop coarsely.
3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chard and heat through, stirring, until coated with oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove to a platter or to plates, spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle t remaining basil over the top and serve.

• Advance preparation: The tomato concassé can be made a few hours ahead. The wilted chard will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

About 35 minutes